A well adjusted couple in the White House

I was over at HuffPo looking at something else when this photo caught my eye. One of the things I really love about the Obamas is how obviously they love each other. The word authentic is way over-used but I can't think of a better word to describe their relationship. The authors of this piece notes the contrast with previous White House couples.

For example, Michelle and Barack do something we've never seen before in a presidential couple: they actually look directly at each other when they're speaking to each other. They also laugh at each other's humor, and they allow their sexual attraction for each other to be visible. [...]

Michelle and Barack speak clearly and openly. You know she won't bullshit you or embarrass you by playing the demure little wife. We're ready to see that kind of relationship, and we hope you are, too. The question is: are we as a nation ready to end our national addiction to duplicity, phony adoration and Stepford wifedom in the White House?

This isn't high on my list of criteria for electing a president but the way a man treats his wife does speak to me a great deal about his character. I don't know where that photo came from but it reminded me of the convention when Obama did something similar after the speech was over and they were all on stage. There is something innately comforting to me about seeing that kind of open display of affection.

In contrast, I'm often struck by the body language of John and Cindy McCain. I searched for about half an hour trying to find a similar photo for them but it's rare to see them even touching, much less showing any warmth towards each other. Most often she's three paces behind him and he almost never is looking directly at her. I found a couple of shots where he's holding her arm up like this. Maybe this is from when she sprained her arm and he's helping her wave but still it speaks of someone showing off a trophy, not so much cherishing a relationship.

Putting aside the fact that I thought the big deal with POW McCain is he can't raise his arm at all, I have to think that a man that treats his own wife so coldly, won't be the kind of man that feels any empathy for the regular Americans whom he seeks to 'lead.' That carries a lot of weight with me as a disqualifier.

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