“We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as a backbone to a life spent defending something…I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it. I’d prefer you just said thank you and went on your way.”

—A Few Good Men (1992)

Hard to believe that the mid-term elections will take place in just four months. Rumor has it that those with presidential aspirations for the 2024 election will begin declaring their intentions just after the mid-term, if not sooner.

REALLY hard to believe. But that’s the political reality of the 24/7/365 campaigning our elected officials are known for and we’ve grown accustomed to.

For the most part, I’ve shifted away from political blogs on these pages. Some allegories, but they were a creative challenge and were written in (partial) jest. But I’m back today, not with a partisan column for any particular party, but with some generic thoughts about our next president.

Covid and its management knocked the U.S. and much of the world for a loop, and we’re still dealing with the educational, financial, and health manifestations of our response to it. Probably no less significant is the exacerbation of our citizens’ polarization that response created.

Our nation is dealing with an unsecured southern border, rampant inflation, a diminished reputation on the world stage, energy dependence, a disregard for the rule of law, and a culture war. Despite these concerns, as a believer I know that God’s still in charge–that He’s got this.

That does not, however, release us from our obligation to live our lives and govern ourselves to the best of our united ability. And that certainly includes elections, especially a presidential election.

When Lt. Col. Jessep spoke the words quoted above from A Few Good Men, they had a military connotation. But the sentiment could just as equally apply to what’s needed in our president.

It’s possible that the same two candidates who opposed each other in 2020 will be nominated by their respective parties and run again in 2024. One’s narcissistic ego was too big for the office of president, and the office of the president seems too big for the other’s diminished faculties. In my opinion, we need to look elsewhere.

We need serious people who are willing to run, not because they believe they have all the answers or because, in their mind, it’s their turn for the office. Male or female; brown, black, yellow, or white; even party affiliation–none of it will matter as much as their ability to hold the highest elected office in our land.

More important boxes to be checked are “capable,” “even-tempered,” “of sound judgment,” and “a willingness to listen to all opinions.” Identity politics should play no role whatsoever.

Galatians 5: 22 enumerates the fruits of the Spirit. They are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. An individual with those traits, or even just the majority of them, would be a wonderful place to start. And that doesn’t mean POTUS would be a pushover for the whims of one party or the other, or, perhaps more importantly, on the world stage. Rather, he or she would have to command respect and exhibit firmness and resolve, albeit in a proper and dignified way.

Although it shouldn’t be a litmus test, having a president deeply rooted in his or her faith in God seems essential to me–especially if that person follows Saint Peter’s instruction to clothe oneself in humility. I’ve said on these pages previously that our drifting away from the religious foundation on which this country was created has contributed to the mess we’re in. I can’t prove that, but the Bible is clear about the importance of our faith.

This may all seem like a tall order, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask of someone seeking the highest office in the land. Do you? Surely, in a country of over three hundred million people, there must be at least a few good men or women out there who can answer the bell.

We’ll know pretty soon.