I always thought toast was something served at the breakfast table with eggs.

Oh, I knew we could honor a person with a toast, raising a glass of water or alcohol, and toasting someone at a wedding or for receiving an award.

But today, whether they be a Hollywood personality or a political operative they could be labeled by the media with the word ‘toast’ when they stray from the straight and narrow.

It never used to be that way. John F Kennedy who lived a Camelot life and Presidential administration would have been called ‘toast’ many times over before and during his Presidency, especially if he ever had the opportunity to run for a second term, but was never called for his extramarital affairs at the time.

Of course, at the time we had pussy cats for a media, not necessarily the reporters, the publishers.

They protected the White House and its occupants at this period of time.

Ted Sorensen, the counselor, lawyer, speech writer, who’s words are so intertwined with Kennedy’s that the public cannot discern the difference — “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” — in a recent book called “Counselor’ he also, in effect, calls Kennedy ‘toast’ in retrospect:

“After all these years, it is unpleasant for me to acknowledge even these limited observations of his philandering. It was wrong and he knew it was wrong, which is why he went to great lengths to keep it hidden . . . In every other aspect of his life, he was honest and truthful, especially in his job. His mistakes do not make his accomplishments less admirable; but they were still mistakes.”

So for those that understand the term ‘toast’ today when its reference has nothing to do with breakfast, we think of :

Gary Hart, Bill Clinton, Eliot Spitzer, David Paterson, the DC Madam and Vito Fassella, all personalties part of the 21st Century.

I don’t agree with Sorenson, that Kennedy’s ‘mistakes do not make his achievements less admirable.’ ‘Toast’ labels that bring down Presidents, politicians or celebrities consist of a character flaw that projects poor judgment for any form of leadership.

We should be thinking of this anytime we are voting for individuals running for office at any level of government.