Presidential speech writers disappoint

 It always leaves an unpleasant taste, I am sure, in the mouth of a President when he/she is forced by the speech writers to refer to a former President as such, in a speech. I recall when President Bill Clinton sent former President Carter to some country in South America as his (Clinton's) emissary on some mission. When addressing the nation, President Clinton did not say "I have sent former President Carter..."

Instead, he said "I have sent President Carter..." This sounded not only good but correct, in my view. While to every other American, Mr. Carter was former President, to the US President, he was and still is, President Carter. This is simple Presidential decorum. Not only that, as a US citizen, then President Clinton had every right to have someone/some people that he too can call "President".

I don't know how my President, Mokgweetsi Masisi refers to former President Khama, if he ever refers to him at all. I hope that his speech writers are awake to the Presidential decorum observed by US presidents.

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