Just Bugs Me

A podium is the raised stage on which a speaker stands. It come from a word in Greek referring to feet. The lectern is the chest-high table sort of thing on which one places the pages of one's speech, or the book from which one is reading to an audience. From lectus, the Latin "to read". When one has fine distinctions to make, one must make those fine distinctions

If one stands upon the lectern, one is likely to fall, and perhaps dislodge the, oh, just for grins, seal of the President of the United States which has been glued to the front of the aforementioned lectern. Contrariwise, if one steps up to the podium one is either (a) very short , on the order of 6 inches overall height, or (b) has yet to come onstage.

By the way, what's with the continued possession of the the honorific "Mr. President" for POTUS emeritus? Once a King, always a King? I somehow think that GW (the original, POTUS #1) would object. He'd already slapped down "Your Excellency" as a term of address. It just chaps my ass to see Jimmah Carter still addressed in that fashion.