Dear President Obama

"It's kind of a weird superpower, but if I had something that I could immediately wish for, I would love to be able to speak any language," the president said.

"Now, that's a weird superpower—it might not come in handy to rescue folks from a burning building," he added. "But I've always wished that whatever country I went to, wherever I met somebody who spoke a different language, that I could right away speak their language."

 Dear President Obama,

Some of the qualities I wish for most in a president are also the qualities I appreciate in anyone.  Empathy, for example.  A desire for inclusiveness.  An interest in other people and the variety of human existence.

Your preferred superpower is a beautiful wish that says a lot of terrific things about you.  You want to understand people.  You want to connect with them, and you want to do it on their terms.

What says more about wanting to understand someone than speaking their language?  That's our go-to phrase for communication!  That's how we illustrate that someone doesn't get us: we're not speaking the same language.

You and I have had our disagreements in the past, but you do have many of the qualities I wish every president had.  This was a lovely, smart answer to a cliched question.  Thank you.

With love,
Frank Lee