Just ask, Mr. President

Denise Oppenhagen
Published: July 20, 2008

If one were to peruse the dictionary, one would find a definition of president as “the chief officer of an organization usually entrusted with the direction and administration of its policies.” Go back a few letters in the alphabet and you would find the definition of leader: “a person who has commanding authority or influence.” Generally, these two descriptions go hand in hand — a president is a leader.  A major question in this election is who is the better leader? Who do you trust to lead the nation? Who has the right ideas to lead the nation? A leader is what we are looking for.  Someone who will guide us, tell us what to do.

Presidents in the past have accepted the duty of leadership. But our current president is avoiding it. During a time when we as a population are in need of strong leadership, he is absent. Or perhaps
avoidant. Although there are people who believe he has done this during his entire two administrations, he has actually said it.  In a press conference this past week, when asked about persuading
Americans to conserve energy, he replied, “the American people are smart enough to figure out whether they are going to drive less or not.” He then added a puzzling comment, “the marketplace works.”

The marketplace may work.  And the American people are smart enough to figure out whether we are going to drive less.  But it would still help if our leader would take an active role in encouraging us to
conserve energy. Franklin Roosevelt is perhaps the most famous for asking Americans to make sacrifices during war time. He made the American people feel like it was a privilege to sacrifice for the war
effort.  “…[t]here is one front and …that front is right here at home, in our daily lives, in our daily tasks. Here at home everyone will have the privilege of making whatever self-denial is necessary, not only
to supply our fighting men, but to keep the economic structure of our country fortified and secure during the war and after the war.” More than six decades later, the words are applicable (unfortunately).

Jimmy Carter, in the midst of the last energy crisis also tried to persuade us to conserve energy.  And, as in the case of Roosevelt, his words could be repeated verbatim today. “The crises in Iran
(substitute Iraq) and Afghanistan have dramatized a very important lesson: Our excessive dependence on foreign oil is a clear and present danger to our Nation’s security. The need has never been more
urgent. At long last, we must have a clear, comprehensive energy policy for the United States.”

It says a lot about the Washington culture that three decades later the energy policies have changed little and we are again in the same predicament that we were in then. But it also says a lot about us.
We were willing to make the sacrifices because our president asked it of us. But when the crisis was over and gas prices and supply stabilized, we went back to our old habits and forgot about the need
to decrease our dependence on foreign oil. Change is hard — very hard. Many people are willing to make sacrifices but need to be asked. Mr. President, just ask.

“And I’m asking you for your good and for your nation’s security to take no unnecessary trips, to use carpools or public transportation whenever you can, to park your car one extra day per week, to obey
the speed limit and to set your thermostats to save fuel.

Every act of energy conservation like this is more than just common sense — I tell you it is an act of patriotism.”

We’re looking toward the president to take the lead, to tell us that we need to change our habits and to give us some ideas. It’s really very easy, Mr. President — just ask.

Denise Oppenhagen is a longtime resident of Prince William County and can be reached at .