A GUEST FOR DINNER

During the Thanksgiving season a TV network asked their viewers in a poll who would they most like to have as a dinner guest on the holiday. Of course the names were all over the map. As it turns out, Tim Tebow, a pro football quarterback for the New York Jets, was the number one pick. Now I like Tim. I admire his prowess as an athlete as well as his personal lifestyle. He seems to be a very spiritual man with charity in his heart, and while I would enjoy having a meal with Mr. Tebow, he would not be my first choice. My first choice would be Barack Obama.

I’ll explain. First, before I would extend such an invitation to my holiday table, there would be a few rules. Among the rules, no smoking in my house. He could go outside if he has to light up. The second rule is the most important. Without a complete agreement on this next rule, he could not sit at my table. He has to tell the complete, unvarnished truth in answering any and all of my questions. I realize the difficulty with that requirement, but it would not be up for discussion. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, or stay away from my house.

Now, with all that agreed to and out of the way, this is how I would envision the table talk. My very first question to Barack would be, “Where were you born?” It’s a simple question. I was born in Powell, Tennessee. See, it’s an easy question. My next question, “Why do you have a Social Security number issued out of Connecticut when you have never lived there?” As you can see this is a simple review of previously released information, so it shouldn’t be difficult.

Next we get to some apparently harder questions. I say harder because the answers seem to have been sealed and hidden at great expense. What were your high school grades and how did you get into Ivy League schools? Were you registered as a foreign student? What were your grades in college? Who paid for these schools? Who paid for your world travels during this same period of your life. Did you in fact graduate and what degrees did you earn? Were you ever a professor of law or a professor of anything for that matter? Have you ever published articles for any law review?

Speaking of publishing, who really wrote the books attributed to you? It’s okay. A lot of people use ghost writers, but most of them are given credit for their contribution. Did you use ghost writers?

As you can see, I have a lot of questions. I have these questions because the people who should have been asking them and proving the veracity of the answers have failed in their responsibility. The national media has seemingly given this guy a free ride. The Republican Party has also seemingly allowed these questions to go unanswered and uninvestigated. Maybe I’m the only person on earth who cares that our president be a truthful man with a verifiable history. Is that the case?

This is what I believe. The truth will come out. The whole story will emerge. If there is no there there, great. But if his entire public life has been a lie, this country will have to deal with it. The national media will be held to account for their failure to do their job, vetting candidate Obama. It is one thing to pick your favorites, but you still have to do your job.

Today I know I will never have the opportunity to ask my questions. I just wish the people who are charged with that responsibility and who have the access would.

Ron Scarbro December 5, 2012