Even if you were there, you probably would have missed it.

After the woman walked onto the stage, she approached the older man and gently embraced him, one hand landing on his shoulder, the other grasping his folded hands.

Smiling, he tilts his head back and leans into younger woman’s shoulder for just a second before she walks away to her seat.

But because this is no ordinary man and woman, the moment wasn’t lost. In fact, as with much of their public lives, it was captured on camera and broadcast throughout the country and world.

And to anyone who knows Michelle Obama and George W. Bush, the photo was anything but a surprise.

Over the past seven plus years, the Obamas and the Bushes have become friends. Some would even say close friends. Part of that can likely be attributed to the natural bond stemming from shared experiences and sacrifices.

But most of it can be attributed to the four principals involved, and especially George and Barack. Both men have a reputation for being very personable, and Bush has repeatedly shown an extremely unusual (in this political climate) amount of grace and decorum by refusing to criticize his successor.

Their friendship and close relationship was never more evident than after the dedication of the museum they attended last weekend. George and his wife were trying to take a “selfie” picture with another family but couldn’t fit themselves into the frame. So George did what was natural. He tapped the leader of the free world on the shoulder and asked him to take the picture, which Obama did.

But of course, for George Bush, he wasn’t asking the president to take the picture. He was asking his friend.

Apparently though, the bond between George and Michelle is even stronger, despite the fact you couldn’t have two more different people. George is a white male whose ancestry includes oil tycoons while Michelle, the black woman who’s young enough to be his daughter, has former slaves in her family tree.

And yet despite that, and their obvious ideological differences, here they were, sharing in front of the world, a moment of affection. When I look at that photo, I can see not only friendship but mutual admiration and respect.

These are two people who vastly different experiences and beliefs who actually like and care for each other.

This kind of relationship couldn’t be in more contrast than to what we see in our current political climate. There is so much hostility in our political discourse that normal, rational people are becoming blinded by hate, fear and paranoia.

We don’t just dislike the “other guy,” or disagree with his or her ideologies. We think they are terrorist insurgents, or at the very least, traitorous enemies of the state. We don’t just think they are wrong. We think they are evil.

It would be easy to blame this hostile climate on our current political candidates, or entertainers disguised as media who are paid to inflame emotions. But really, we don’t need to look much farther than our own Facebook pages and coffee shop conversations to see this kind of hostility, anger, and sometimes paranoia, running rampant.

And that’s why when I look at that photo of George and Michelle I not only become filled with hope, but sadness: Hope that maybe someday we can disagree but still care for and respect a person, sadness realizing how far we have to go before that happens.

—

Gregory Orear is the publisher of The Journal. His award-winning weekly column, What’s Going On, has been published in four newspapers in three states for more than 20 years. He can be contacted at gorear@nujournal.com.