Presidents of the United States wear many hats: commander in chief, chief executive of the government, head of state, head of government and, yes, mourner in chief.

President and Mrs. Obama are traveling Thursday to Baylor University in Waco to attend a memorial service honoring the victims of the fertilizer plant blast this past week in nearby West, Texas, that killed 14 people and injured many more.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/04/21/4791152/memorial-service-set-for-first.html

President Obama is “good” at these kinds of events, just as President Bush had to do the same after 9/11 and after the Columbia shuttle tragedy, and as President Clinton had to do after the Oklahoma City bombing and as President Reagan did after the shuttle Challenger explosion.

This is what presidents must do. They don’t wish it on themselves or on any of those who will succeed them. They ought to look at the way their predecessors handled such crises, learn from them and take a bit of that advice with them as they perform this essential task of leadership.

Barack Obama noted the other day that “This has been a tough week,” in describing the events that occurred during the Boston Marathon and its immediate aftermath, as well as the tragedy that tore apart the tiny town of West.

A nation looks often to its elected leaders for comfort in times of pain. The president has been forced by events to offer a healthy dose of it. That’s why we pay him the big bucks.