To boo or not to boo?

Last night I attended the inaugural game at Nationals Park, for the regular season opener against the Atlanta Braves. Not only was I excited to be at the opening game of the season (not to mention the first regular season game at a gorgeous new stadium), but President Bush was scheduled to throw out the first pitch.

For those who had somehow forgotten that Bush would be at the game, it was easy to remember coming off the Metro, as we were greeted by life-size bobbleheads of Bush and Condoleezza Rice dressed in jail stripes, surrounded by groups of protesters with "Boo Bush" and "War Criminals" signs. Helicopters hovered above the stadium, snipers patrolled the roofs of the parking complex, and we waited in line airport-style to pass through metal detectors and have our bags rummaged through by homeland security officers.

As the opening pitch drew nearer, I began to wonder how Bush would be received by the ultra-liberal Washington, D.C. crowd. Sure, I overheard people before the game talking about their dislike for W, but come on, are you really going to boo the President? Yes. Apparently they are.

Now I'm no Socialist - I firmly believe in (and very often celebrate) freedom of speech. But this simply rubbed me the wrong way. I believe that our President, no matter who he or she is, and what they and their administration may have done, should be granted at the very least a modicum of respect, especially during a ceremonial outing. To me, the booing took away from this shining achievement for baseball, a game that, among other things, helps to take our collective minds off of other issues.

Call me happy-go-lucky, but I was hoping that people would be able to put aside their differences for the night and celebrate an amazing moment in baseball.

- Only three years ago did Washington, D.C. get baseball back, marking 45 years since the Senators had left.
- A brand-new $600M green baseball stadium was just built.
- It's the start of the 2008 season.
- The President is throwing out the first pitch.

That's pretty damn cool. But for me, the loud boos for Bush put a damper on the magic of it all.

Did I boo? No. Did I cheer? No. I was way too busy trying to take a picture.

What do you think - is it OK to boo the President?