One sunny day in 2009 an old man approached the White House
from across Pennsylvania Avenue, where he’d been sitting on a
park bench. He spoke to the U.S. Marine standing guard and
said, ‘I would like to go in and meet with President Bush.’
The Marine looked at the man and said, ‘Sir, Mr. Bush is no longer
president and no longer resides here.’
The old man said, ‘Okay, thank you’ and walked away.
The following day, the same man approached the White House
and said to the same Marine, ‘I would like to go in and meet with
President Bush.’
The Marine again told the man, ‘Sir, as I said yesterday, Mr.
Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here.’
The man thanked him and, again, just walked away.
The third day, the same man approached the White House and
spoke to the very same U. S. Marine, saying ‘I would like to go
in and meet with President Bush.’
The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at
the man and said, ‘Sir, this is the third day in a row you have
been here asking to speak to Mr. Bush. I’ve told you already
that Mr. Bush is no longer the president and no longer resides
here. Don’t you understand?’
The old man looked at the Marine and said, ‘Oh, I understand.
I just love hearing it.’
The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, ‘See you
tomorrow, Sir’.
