Pet Peeve

This has been going on for at least several years, and it annoys the hell out of me. Since when did we start referring to the President of the United States as Mr. Bush especially in newscasts and newspapers?

To me this is a huge mistake. People do have titles and I feel we should use them. The President is more than a man, or woman someday, the President is an office as well. When we refer to the office as 'Mr. So-and-So' it demeans it I feel. I don't recall ever President Clinton or the first President Bush referred to in a story as 'Mr. Clinton' or 'Mr. Bush.'

President Ronald Reagan thought so highly of the office that he never took off his suit jacket while in the Oval Office. The POTUS is more than a person, it is a reflection of our country. Whether or not you like the person currently occupying the office, that person is a reflection of our achievements, sacrifices, honor, and history as a nation.

Stupid reporters need to stop being the news and simply report the news and remember that a duality exists between our offices and the people in them. I don't recall seeing a judge referred to as Mr. or Mrs. So-And-So. It is Senator Bayh not Mr. Bayh, and Congresswoman Julia Carson not Mrs. Carson. Those offices have the respect of the title.

When did that respect slip away from the President?