Monday, October 6, 2008

Character Counts


If, as we heard from certain opponents of Bill Clinton, "Character Counts" then this story about an act of kindness toward a total stranger by Barack Obama twenty years ago is quite illuminating.




ÅSGÅRDSTRAND (VG): Mary was a newlywed and ready to move to Norway, but was stopped at the airport because she didn’t have enough money for the trip. Then a stranger turned up and paid for her.


...Although she explained the situation to the man behind the counter, he showed no signs of mercy.-"I started to cry, tears were pouring down my face and I had no idea what to do. Then I heard a gentle and friendly voice behind me saying, That’s OK, I’ll pay for her".


...She was thrilled to be able to bring both her suitcases to Norway and assured the stranger that he would get his money back. The man wrote his name and address on a piece of paper that he gave to Mary. She thanked him repeatedly. When she finally walked off towards the security checkpoint, he waved goodbye to her.


...The piece of paper said ‘Barack Obama’ and his address in Kansas, which is the state where his mother comes from. Mary carried the slip of paper around in her wallet for years, before it was thrown out.


Go read the whole piece, it might just change a few minds.


The picture above comes from Leisha's post and shows Mary, her husband and a letter from Barack Obama.


I'm tempted to make a snarky comparison at this point but shall refrain, as nothing more need be said.


Catch you later.....



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2 comments:

Mojopo said...

Lovely post. I caught that today on Off The Bus - the forum - and it's a great read. I want very much for it to be true, and I know it's being fact checked. So far, so good. Character, class - yes he has it.

GOPnot4me said...

At work today (eye clinic), I passed out my card w/ the link to this story more than a few times.

A couple of our favorite regulars came into the office late, busy day, had to wait for the Doc., so I sat them, one at a time, in front of my computer to read the original piece. I think I saw tears in at least one pair of eyes.

Character is who you are when no one is watching.