Visits the White House
An invitation to the White House, and a reflection on Article II, the presidency and the "ongoing experiment in self-governance."
Checked an invitation to visit the world's most iconic "white house" off the bucket list. We'd probably still be calling the President's residence "the Executive Mansion" if Teddy Roosevelt hadn't dubbed it "the White House" in letters sent in 1901.
This building embodies how Article II of our Constitution has been executed throughout the history of our still-young nation. It isn't just the home of the President; it's the command center where the buck stops on foreign policy, where the laws of our country are enforced — not made — and where national leaders are appointed to steer critical functions of government. It protects and enables the person charged with wielding substantial power, under constitutional constraints meant to prevent kingly tyranny.
The White House is a building of decisions, where the past, present and future collide. Every citizen should be proud to be part of this ongoing experiment in self-governance as the next chapter of the American story is written — not only by the occupant of this brightly painted house, but by all of us, every single day.
