I was a recluse. A bitter, shy, hardass. I was in the cool group, sure, I could hardly have prevented that given my superior genetics, imposing physical prowess and undeniable life brewing in my sturdy gaze, my ascerbic wit, etc. But I was a negative force, and I never, not once, took my books home or gave studying a fair shake. I never read the material, so I had no opinions to offer. I never prepared for tests so my choice was either cheat or flunk. I became a brilliant cheat. I used to tinker with the piano at home and parlayed this into an ill-conceived music major at a nearby university, a degree I did nothing with, a talent half-baked at best. Only later did I find a profession for my considerable latent mental agility, advertising, an insipid, dismal “sell-out” trade, ever contributing to the pollution of corporate messages, duping clients into paying large sums of money for hokey scripts and branding ideas that for some reason most people can’t create. And later still did I discover a passion for knowledge, science, inquiry. Or is it simply a passion for the thinking organ in me, the passion for using it, seeing its power manifest in my surroundings.
Tonight I tucked my son in and told him about grades and colleges. If you get A’s you can go to Harvard. B’s and you can go to (college) like Daddy. If you’re smart and you try you’ll get A’s. If you’re smart and you don’t try you’ll get C’s. He asked if he get’s A’s can he go to Harvard? I said, maybe, you need to do a lot more than get A’s. A lot more.
Then I went downstairs full of regret. Class president, I thought. I could have. I should have. Here, this is my speech.
Fellow students and teachers here today…
Let me cut right to the chase. What does it mean to be class president? Is it just a bogus title, something for me to put on my record? Would it endow me with presidential powers that would have any effect on the well-being of you, my fellow students? That is the question. And I’ve been looking into this for the past month. What I’ve discovered is encouraging. There is a budget for various events, like the prom, homecoming dance, pep rallies. Plus, there is a budget for assemblies, local artist concerts, holiday fundraisers and cafeteria enhancements. I know that these issues play a minor role in most of your lives. I wish I could issue extra free periods, less homework, beer in the hallways…this isn’t in my power. But I intend to take advantage of the power I do have to make this year as memorable as possible. To stretch my power to its utter limits to represent your collective desires, to take advantage of the little power we do have to express ourselves. That is all.
… “stabilized economy” 
… at least with the “campaign against terror” claim, you didn’t say it was “successful” so on that basis, I’ll agree 
(There’s nothing funnier than neoCON priorities. Pity, because most of the world would rather the U.S. lead than China, but what can we do? )