Languages and Linguistics

If I somehow mean Obama, I'm addressing him as Mr president until he tells me otherwise. Bill clinton is on record as preferring just "Mr Clinton".

But it's not appropriate in the 3rd person. The media gets it wrong when they say things like "the president is now entering the courthouse." That would be the *former* president. Or better yet, the disgraced, lying, raping, defaming, fraudulent, confidential information stealing, failed businessman who briefly cheated his way into the Oval Office once.