A Dinner Party with the Presidents. And First Ladies.

Well, no one took the bait and told me which President and First Lady (not pair necessarily) they would like to share a meal with... But I will go ahead and share with you anyway. And because its my game, I am going to make it a dinner party for eight, myself included, with a several Presidents and a First Lady or two.

I would invite President Lincoln, of course. I think he would sit at the head. And I would love to ask him questions about faith and life and how he managed to get through the Civil War and through the many wars that waged against him in his own head. 

I would like to talk to President Reagan about the presidency and about being a movie star. 

President Eisenhower would also be invited, because I know he would have some good stories to tell of his days in the Army and about the difficult task of leading our country during the Cold War. He sent troops into Arkansas when desegregation began, emphasized a balanced budget, and believed there should be no second class citizen. I think President Lincoln might find some of this interesting as it was a bit of the beginning of his dream being realized. 

I think President Jackson would also allow for some lively discussion at the table. Did you know that President Jackson only had informal education, became a lawyer after reading law for two years, and killed a man in a duel after that man had cast an unjustified slur on his wife Rachel? 

President Coolidge might be on the list, except I know he wasn't too excited about visiting at dinner parties. Have you heard the story that at a dinner party, a guest once bed him she could get him to say at least three words during dinner and he simply replied with "You lose." So... he would probably not be the best candidate, or he might even decline the invitation. 

It would be lovely for Mrs. Bush to come as she is so poised and would be so pleasant. I also think she would be able to keep the conversation going if it lapsed at any point. 

Mrs. Nancy Reagan could come as she always beamed when her man would talk. 

And at last I was debating between Lady Eleanor and President Hoover...and I'd have to say I think I would invite Hoover. Though he was criticized widely during his time in office, I have a feeling he had a good heart and got the blame for something that wasn't his fault. He might not actually enjoy the table convo if President Coolidge were there, but the fact that he organized shipments of food to millions of starving persons in Eastern Europe because he believed they should be fed, despite their politics. He saw value in the human soul and tended to it. 

T'would be an interesting meal. Now I may or may not agree with the politics of each or how history shaped their time on earth, but I do think I could learn at least a little something from each of them. And to be honest, thinking about them and my list, made me really think I could learn something from each and every one, but narrowing to eight was necessary for purposes of this post. I definitely know that I would like to know more about each of the men that have led our country and maybe some biographies will make it onto my next "for pleasure" reading list.