News-Record.com

I'm pretty tired of the "Barack HUSSEIN Obama" treatment the Democratic presidential candidate gets from some people.

What's the point? That the Illinois senator's name doesn't sound American enough? Or Christian? Or that he might be related to Saddam Hussein?

Give it up.

Obama doesn't routinely use his middle name; nor do the other presidential candidates. Hillary Rodham Clinton does sometimes, although Rodham is her maiden name, not a middle name.

Actually, it's interesting to track presidential middle names or initials.

We started out with the formal, yet simple: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson. James Madison, James Monroe. Not Jim, Jim, Tom, Jack and, well, what do you do with George? No middle names. Why? They didn't have middle names.

The inaugural presidential middle name belonged to John Quincy Adams. I like that middle name, which adds a musical note to the drab John Adams. It also distinguished JQ from his dad, saving future Americans much confusion. We use a similar device to tell George W. Bush from George H.W. Bush.

The next departure from the norm was Martin Van Buren, whose Van wasn't a middle name but part of his last name: Van Buren.

So that brings us to William Henry Harrison. The name has a brave cadence, appropriate for a military man; unfortunately, it had barely echoed off the Capitol's cold columns on inauguration day 1841 before he passed away of the chills.

Then there was native North Carolinian James Knox Polk, sometimes shortened to James K., ushering in the tradition of the middle initial.

This was practiced by Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes and Chester A. Arthur.

In Arthur's case, the A. served as a welcome buffer between two names that otherwise would have thudded together. Say Chester Arthur aloud to see what I mean.

Grover Cleveland was the president. Grover Cleveland Alexander was the baseball player (although he was played by a president-to-be, Ronald Reagan, in a movie -- "The Winning Team," 1952).

A throwback to an earlier era, Theodore Roosevelt (Jr.) lacked a middle name. But he became the first president commonly known by a nickname: Teddy. He also was often referred to as TR. Bully.

His successor was William Howard Taft, which has a fittingly ponderous sound to it (lower your voice when you pronounce Taft).

Warren G. Harding was an initial guy, and so was the second Roosevelt: Franklin D. But sometimes all three names were employed: Franklin Delano Roosevelt. That's eight syllables in all, a presidential record. (Even George Herbert Walker Bush is only six.) But if you said FDR, everyone would know who you meant.

Next we come to the most interesting middle initial: Harry Truman's S. It didn't stand for anything. Apparently old Give 'em Hell Harry wasn't given a middle name but decided he should have at least an initial. So he picked S. I like the S because it slips off the tongue very easily, causing no stumbling for the speaker who's hurrying from Harry to Truman. He chose well.

Initials remained in vogue through Dwight D. Eisenhower (although Americans liked to say Ike), John F. Kennedy (also JFK) and Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ).

Richard Nixon was rarely Richard M., and more rarely Richard Milous. Often he was plain Dick Nixon, or Tricky Dick when detractors wanted to kick him around. Or out.

Gerald Ford didn't bother with his middle name much (Rudolph), for good reason. You could get by with calling him Jerry.

James Earl Carter insisted everybody call him Jimmy. He was the first president to prefer a nickname for all occasions -- even his inauguration.

Only Nancy called Ronald Reagan Ronnie. But he wasn't pretentious enough to use his middle name (Wilson) or initial.

We've already discussed the Bushes. William Jefferson Clinton went by Bill, except on formal occasions. Which brings us to the present.

Among other 2008 candidates, John Edwards is a Jimmy Carter opposite. His full given name is Johnny Reid Edwards. He grew out of Johnny a long time ago.

Mike Huckabee is Michael Dale Huckabee.

Mitt Romney is Willard Mitt Romney, the only leading contender who's skipping his first name altogether. I think we'll have to let him get away with that.

John McCain is John Sidney McCain III (thankfully not called Trey). Sid McCain would work as well as John.

Put Fred Thompson in the same category as "Johnny" Edwards: He was born Freddie Dalton Thompson. Is it a Southern thing?

Finally, we consider Rudy Giuliani: Rudolph W. Giuliani. If you can discover what the W stands for, you're a more determined researcher than I. It must be pretty shocking whatever it is. I just wonder whether his three names together would overtake FDR's eight syllables. Not that Rudy is likely to end up in the White House, anyway.

How Barack Obama presents his name is a matter of personal choice, the same as it's been for other politicians through the ages. If he takes the oath of office one year from tomorrow, he's entitled to intone, "I, Barack Obama, do solemnly swear ...", leaving out Hussein.

It's more important for Americans to figure out whether he's the right man for the job than if he has the right sort of name.