Happy birthday, Mr. President: The lady sings for you.

[caption id="attachment_11219" align="alignleft" width="237" caption="Marilyn Monroe"][/caption]

 Carol Forsloff - Today is Barack Obama's 49th birthday.  Like John F. Kennedy, Obama's Presidency is marred by controversy, but unlike John, Barack won't get the same kind of cake.





Remember that cake on John F. Kennedy's birthday?  Those of a certain age do.  It was brought out with much hoopla in the misty memories and sexy sashay of Marilyn Monroe.

There were speculations at the time about Kennedy and Monroe having had a love affair, but those were the days when discretion truly was the better part of valor.  Valor meant standing bravely and understanding people have foibles in the midst of a very big job.

This wasn't the time of the tell-all, throw-it-all society.  Reality shows were Father Knows Best, and that was enough.  Private lives were private, including, and most especially that of the President.

News media had journalists with training in journalist, and they too had an understanding about the public's right to know.  Wonder why they weren't so apt to reveal every nick and pimple on someone's bottom as part of that right.  It was also the time when releasing secret files during war would have been met with citizen horror.

Now young people consider it honorable for a man in military uniform in the war in the Middle East to make confidential papers available to the media and for the media to brag about having it.

It's a different atmosphere and a different kind of birthday.

Whether folks like his politics or not, the President represents the country as a whole; and on this occasion, why not simply say.  It is Barack Obama's special day.   And here's what Kennedy got on his birthday, from me to you today.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President.