[Opinion] President`s Wife

˝Being a president means being all alone. All I can count on is my wife. ˝ Former U.S. President Johnson said to his successor Nixon as he left the White House. ˝We are lucky to have such decent women as wives, ˝ Nixon then replied. Although no law stipulates power of a president`s wife, everyone agrees that she has a great influence as a sole counselor on the man who is at the very center of the power. In fact, nature of a government often decides by the style of the first lady. Having never been elected or appointed to the post, the first lady is considered a public job. Nancy Reagan, wife of former President Ronald Reagan, even wrote down `the first lady` when she asked of her job.

▷Thinking of what Johnson said, however, a president`s wife must be very lonely. Elizabeth, wife of former President Truman, compared being a first lady as `wearing a crown in a prison cell` and Nancy said ˝I always felt that someone placed me right under the magnifying glass. ˝ Helen Thomas, a White House correspondent for 40 years, once wrote in her book, ˝Hostesses of the White House tend to feel uneasy and even terrified under the pressure of being a model figure. ˝ This might be why Danielle Mitterand, wife of former French President Francois Mitterand, refused to enter the Elysee Palace and lived apart from her husband for 14 years.

▷Wives of leading presidential candidates, Han In-ok, Gwon Yang-suk and Kim Young-myung, all say that they wish to be like late Yuk Young-su. The former first lady is known for her gentle and moderate images. In the U.S., Eleanor Roosevelt is the most beloved first lady in history. She led effort to help the poor and the marginalized. In fact, there were quite a number of first ladies who were more popular than their husbands. The Republican Party made a campaign slogan `Another four years in the White House for Betty` as incumbent Republican president Ford was rerunning for presidency. While Nixon was labeled as one of the worst presidents in history, his wife Pat was praised for her deeds.

▷A women`s organization recently suggested that first lady candidates should also go gone through public scrutiny. And it doesn`t sound like a far-fetched idea given the rumors that have so far centered on those women of great influence. It might be time to redefine the role of the first lady now that women increase their presence outside house. First ladies in the U.S. address speeches in Congress and there is a First Lady Exhibition Hall in History Museum in Washington D.C. It would be great for us to have a lucky president married to a decent woman as Nixon said.

Im Chae-jung, Editorial Writer, cclim@donga.com