Partisan Shmartisan

Today was the official unveiling of Bill and Hilary Clinton's official White House portraits. I was listening to the radio this afternoon, while I was sewing, and heard part of the speeches George Bush and Clinton made at the occasion.

I was impressed. Bush was not merely polite, but warm, and gracious. He spoke very highly of Clinton's drive, and energy, and the hard work and commitment he brought to the presidency, and to the causes he felt important. Clinton was similarly pleasant, self-deprecating and kind. No subtle jabs, or statements to be misconstrued, or axes to grind. It was lovely.

After it aired, a listener called the radio station, stating his belief that Bush's statements were simply and cynically designed to make himself look good, this being an election year and all. This guy was totally unwilling, or unable, to believe that the current President might actually have meant the complimentary things he found to say about the former President. That there must be some self-interest involved, and that self-interest was inevitably paramount.

I found that really irritating. Is it so hard to believe that people on opposite sides of the political fence can respect one another? That we can recognize positive qualities, virtues even, in someone with whom we disagree-- beyond the areas that we see as faults? That our political loyalties must be so pervasive that we cannot sincerely own the dignity, and worth, and gifts in those whose views we oppose?

You know, it's that sort of narrow intolerance that gets in the way of too much in this world. And it stands in overt opposition to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which teaches that all people are our neighbors, created in the image of God, and formed with good gifts in that creation.

We have got to at least try to be better than that.