A White House fantasy

My "A White House Fantasy" letter to the editor was published by the Moscow-Pullman Daily News of Moscow, Idaho and Pullman,Washington on page 7A of its Friday, January 23, 2009 issue. A copy of the letter is reproduced below. BL
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     I had a daydream fantasy that I conversed with President Obama:
     "How is everything in the White House, sir?"
     "Michelle and I are getting settled in. Thanks for asking."
     "And are you getting off to a running start as the President?"
     "I'm more feeling my way along, cautious like, finding ways to unify people. And to symbolize that, I'm considering repainting the White House in rainbow colors."
     "I like that idea. Either that or repaint it in American landscape colors – big sky blue, harvest wheat tan, rich soil black, snowy mountains white."
     "Yeah, that's a good idea, too. Either way, I'll have a contest giving a new nickname to the no longer all white White House."
     "My first thought is to call it 'America House'."
     "Works for me. Or another good name might be 'The People's House', because that's whose it is. Or of course, 'The Rainbow House'."
     "Do you think some traditionalists might object to changing the color and name of such a power symbol as the White House?"
     "I myself would never be the first to publicly suggest doing that, but a bipartisan Commission might have nationwide hearings, to get people thinking and talking about new symbols in a new century of love of this land and its varied, united people."
     My daydream faded from my mind like a wisp of mist. I feel no particular hankering for a White House of a different color. But I do think that now is a time for taking new looks at the familiar, for lateral creative thinking, for questioning the never questioned, and for sharing the joy of creatively – with reason, intuition, patience, persistence, and team work – solving or mitigating our shared problems.
Brian Leekley
Moscow, Idaho