|
Rescue Worker: God
bless America!
President Bush: --
to everybody who is here. Thank you for your hard work. Thank you
for makin' the nation proud, and may God bless America.
Rescue Workers:
[Chanting]
U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
It is what the nation needed to hear from
President Bush . . . who did so from the heart with sincere emotion
and without a political agenda. It was about righting a
terrible wrong done to the USA on its own soil, tragically
taking the lives of so many innocent.
Today, it is an entirely different attitude
towards President Bush for many . . . and that includes discounting
the partisan ones. (It is even worse than before September 11,
2001 with the memories of the 2000 election still fresh in the
memories of those who didn’t vote for George Bush.)
Yes, opinions can change due to a variety of
personal and/or partisan political reasons such as learning that the
decision to liberate Iraq was based on faulty intelligence.
The change can even be so profound that one’s perception can be
clouded on everything involving a particular individual . . .
including significant achievements that are under reported or just
not news grabbing like what went wrong on a particular day no matter
if it was minor with no lasting impact . . . other than the
impression it leaves or reinforces.
Hindsight also comes into play when things
aren’t going right . . . and became increasing so for many Americans
as the progress with the Iraq War was not going as planned. It
brings about second guessing even when decisions were made based on
what was known at the time . . . not what was known months or years
afterwards.
And while decisions based on faulty facts have
their consequences for all involved, it should never change one’s
opinion of the character of those who made the decision in good
faith.
Yet, I have never faulted President Bush for
his decisions based upon what he knew at the time . . . Yes, I too
wished he had known all the facts beforehand.
Moreover, I remain convinced that President
Bush has never waivered in his resolve to protect our beloved
country and fellow citizens. I see it in his eyes and
expressions, hear it in his voice, and witness it in his interaction
with others . . . and none more so than when he is with the troops
or speaking about them.
You can see for yourself by
watching the Medal of Honor presentations by President Bush to
the families of the fallen heroes and his interview reflecting on
being the Commander in Chief and thoughts about the troops.
That is President Bush!
And as a father of a son who served with the
Marines in Iraq during 2003, I have the lasting memory of the
emotion felt everyday my son was in harm’s way. (Read
Very Proud and Worried - A Father's Thoughts)
I also have a sense of the emotions that
President Bush deals with knowing that he has sent so many brave
young ones into harm’s way. Then there is how he must feel for
and about the brave, proud, honorable ones who returned home draped
with Old Glory or with a crippling wound. He was their
Commander in Chief.
Nor would I have blamed President Bush, if my
Marine son’s narrow escape from a killing bullet whispering by an
ear had found it instead. (Read
Brave Young) My son and his fellow troops volunteered to serve
in the military . . . and deserve our sincere heartfelt appreciation
and respect . . . for putting country first above self, which is how
President Bush obviously feels towards them.
So, why would even President Bush’s critics not
be willing to accept putting country first has been his overriding
principle as America’s leader . . . when it has always been as
Commander in Chief?
Therefore, decisions that are viewed as
mistakes or just unpopular were not based on what was best for him,
but for country’s sake . . . no matter the political consequences.
The same goes for the good / popular decisions. (Read
Dear Mr. President)
Sadly, I doubt that partisan types and
unfriendly media will ever admit it publicly, but historians will
hopefully do so one day soon. | 
