“He was first in war, he was first in peace.
He was first in everyone’s hearts.
Our first president, George Washington helped give our nation its start.” 

President’s Day is on Monday, and should be an occasion to do more than just shop for mattresses. This is the day to think on what our country’s past leaders have done for America.

The lines above come from a condensed version of an old song — we think it’s from George M. Cohan — that commemorates our first president, who was born this month. There’s also Abraham Lincoln, who was born today, Feb. 12, 1809. Coincidentally, that’s the same date as Charles Darwin, another leader of sorts who shook the world to its foundations with his discoveries in evolution. But that’s perhaps a topic for another time.

We should consider other great leaders who’ve helped to build our country: Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Teddy and Franklin D. Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy and Reagan all come immediately to mind.

But President’s Day is also a time to consider what we can do to support or critique our leaders.

You may or may not care for who’s in charge now, but the fact remains that Barack Obama is this country’s president. If you like him, great. If not, be consoled this is his last year. History will judge him more severely than any of us can now.

Regardless, we seriously doubt the average American could carry the burden that any of our Commanders in Chief have done. Running a country isn’t strictly about image. That’s chiefly used when it comes to running for the seat in the Oval Office at the White House.

Considering this is an election year, it’s also as good as time as any to contemplate who’s seeking this office and worthy of our votes to lead us.