A dinner for John McCain: Can Obama teach us all a few manners?

[Ic]

President-elect Barack Obama will host dinners on the eve of his
inauguration to honor Vice-president-elect Joe Biden, Colin Powell
and...Senator John McCain, the man he defeated to win the presidency.

Obama’s going to dinner at the home of George Will to meet with
conservative columnists was probably just good politics and good
strategy. But hosting a dinner to honor John McCain and his service to
the country is either brilliant strategy or unbelievably gracious.

Maybe it’s both. I am unaware of whether any previous president-elect
has ever hosted a dinner for his election opponent. It certainly seems
rare.

Rare enough to be a little shocking. I wish I could say I am sure I'd
have thought to do it.

I voted for Mr. Obama, not Mr. McCain, and thought the McCain campaign
stooped pretty low pretty often. It was disappointing and maddening,
because maybe I’m naive but I liked John McCain and thought he should
have run a campaign as honorable as most of his life.

He didn’t. But Senator McCain still deserves respect, and having a
dinner for him just seems right. Mr. Obama is doing it.

I don’t expect or even want politicians not to argue and fight. But
wouldn’t it be nice for the arguments to focus on the problems facing
the country rather than distract us with slurs and insinuations?

Let’s hope the President-elect has the style and manners we’d all want
our children to see. His grandmother must be smiling.