Real Men: George W Bush
{Originally posted on In Jennifer’s Head}
I’ve been planning this post for some time, but decided to put it off until after the election. I wanted it to be a genuine tribute and not viewed as an attempt to convince anyone to agree with me.
Remember the young man we elected eight years ago?
He doesn’t look like that anymore. All his hair is gray, and his face is heavily lined.
He has traveled a hard road these last eight years. Never once did he lash out at those who bashed him. He didn’t even denounce the film about the assassination of a president that used his face. He has just taken the criticism and continued to do the job we hired him to do.
He has kept us safe from harm. Ann Coulter wrote a great column months ago about him. Not only has he kept us safe, but he has brought freedom to those under the oppressive thumb of Saddam Hussein. The man has weathered a smear campaign like none I’ve ever seen. And he has done it all with grace. He never threw yellowcake in the faces of those screaming “Bush Lied!”
He is a man of integrity, a trait sorely missing in Washington. I may not have agreed with every decision that he made, but I believe that he was honestly trying to do what was best for the country. There was a sign in my kindergarten classroom that said, “What is right is not always popular, and what is popular is not always right.” George W Bush consistently ignored what was popular and instead chose what he believed to be right.
He didn’t run from his past failings, but met them head on. He always either had time or made time to comfort people. The tears he has shed for our fallen soldiers are real.
I hope retirement is peaceful and that history remembers him as the great man that he is. I will miss having him in the big chair, and I am not alone.
He welcomed the president-elect this week with grace. I can only hope Obama understands the shoes he is called to fill. We all know he understands ‘popular’, what we don’t know is whether or not he understands ‘right’.
Editors pick by Mr Lady at Whiskey In My Sippy Cup: Jennifer has been writing ‘In Jennifer’s Head’ for a little over a year now, and what I love so much about her political posts is that even though she and I exist on total opposite ends of the political spectrum, I read her and find myself nodding in agreement, or at least understanding. Her ability to share her views unconfrontationally and with conviction is what keeps me reading her. I am thrilled to add that Jennifer has agreed to allow me to feature her site regularly on Blog Nosh, so expect lots more to come from her! Meanwhile, check out her original post here.
Editor
mrlady
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January 21st, 2009
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Category:
Author - In Jennifer's Head, Channel- Politics, Conservativism, Current Affairs, Editor-Mr Lady, Featured 1, Inspiration, Politics, Tuesday 2, world politics
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are you joking?
amys last blog post.." Yeah but bacon tastes good. Pork chops taste good."
Thanks for featuring me!
Jennifers last blog post..Looky! Looky! I’ve been Noshed!
While it would be ridiculously easy to take each and every one of your points and show you just how mistaken, and mislead you are about them, I’m going to resist the urge. It’s not a fight worth fighting any more.
I’m choosing to feel sorry for former President Bush. He was sorely unprepared and unequipped for the job he was given, and it’s just easier to choose to feel pity for the man than hate or anger. But great man? That, sorry, I just can’t agree with.
Jessica (from It’s my life…)s last blog post..President Barak Obama’s Inauguration: As seen by a 3-year-old
Tell me what man would ever be prepared for a natural disaster that destroyed an entire city, plus a terrorist attack that killed 3,000 citizens? It is certainly a fact that if our new president were given these exact same problems he would be even LESS equipped to handle them since he has no executive experience at all.
He protected us from terrorist since that day, he has taken the fight to them and destroyed them, and he removed one of the most brutal dictators in modern history. I call that a pretty good thing.
Instincts last blog post..Yea, not really art, but nice try
Thanks for letting me feature you, Jen.
Mr Ladys last blog post..If I Planned Presidential Inaugurations
Jennifer,
You have captured the essence of the man that has kept us safe these last nearly 8 years. As a Conservative, I, too, had my disagreements with President Bush, but never stopped paying respect to the man, to the office that he represented.
President Bush has shown great patience and fortitude during difficult times. He has been our nation’s President, indeed my President, and he will always have that distinction from where I stand. At the same time, I welcome President Barack Obama in the same spirit; he, too, is my President, although it’s easy to predict there will be little I will agree with him on policy.
Here’s to new beginnings; may President Obama not experience even half of the troubles President Bush has experienced.
Charlie on PA Tpks last blog post..President George W. Bush
I’m completely at a loss. But as has already been said, this fight just ain’t worth it anymore.
Here’s to better days.
Wills last blog post..How to crash a blogging conference in one easy step
Well said!!! Thanks for writing and featuring this post. It is not popular, obviously, but it does represent how a lot of people feel out there.
Very well said… I hope now since Pres Bush in no longer in office our homes and country will be safe, but I have to say honsetly I do not feel that we will be.
I hope the new President does a good job. But I think most of the people who voted for him think he is a messiah, and he is not. We are a country of people who believe in the quick fix, and this is not a quick fix time.
I ask any of your commentors to give a name of anyone past, present and future that could have handled the last 8 years with the 2 items mentioned, and have done any better. How they would have handled it?
Great post and Very well stated!
Sue, about the only one I can think of would have been Regan. But then again, it’s REGAN, he could handle anything
Instincts last blog post..Yea, not really art, but nice try
I am all about responding by email, but I want to thank everyone for using their big kid words today. I knew this would be a sore subject, but I felt it was important say still, even though I am not the world’s biggest Bush fan, either.
Thanks Jen for putting yourself out there. And thank to all of you for being honest, not mean. You guys rock.
Mr Ladys last blog post..If I Planned Presidential Inaugurations
I just love this post. Not because of my political beliefs but because I appreciate that someone decided to be bold and focus on our former president in a positive light: to point out the very difficult decisions he had to make and how he handled the criticism with dignity. I thought that of the entire family yesterday. They were the picture of dignity and grace.
Of course, I treasure our right to freedom of speech but find it sad that so many Americans were so veryhateful toward President Bush. Not just critical. We need people to speak out and be critical. We need our leaders to be accountable and by voicing our opinions this helps in doing that. But the hate - it was so wrong.
I would never want to walk a day in any president’s shoes. I doubt very many would.
I don’t think I have it in me, any longer, to debate the merits of GWB. I don’t think I want to think about it any longer. During his first term, I think I sounded a little like you—not in support of him, but in terms of respect and dignified disagreement. I told people, “Although I heartily and mightily disagree with him, I do think he is doing what he believes is right.” But during his second term, that opinion of mine eroded away completely. As he showed less and less respect for my rights, as shifts in this country’s culture left me terrified for the rest of our liberties and rights, and as my breathless concern for our safety grew because each decision seemed designed to create more problems, I lost that respect and belief. Yes, he served the country, but I have come to believe it was in pursuit of an agenda that I find completely contrary to what our founder’s intended, and what I—and clearly many others like me—expect and hope for from this amazing and incredible nation.
I won’t insult him, and I offer you kudos for writing what you think, and so well.
But I will mightily and heartily disagree with you—respectfully, with all due respect.
Because I am now enjoying an incredible victory—I have hope for a leader, and renewed faith in the office of President.
Julie Pipperts last blog post..Falling and Flying
I whole-heartedly agree with you.
The man did a HARD job, and he never gave up, no matter how hard it got! He deserves our respect. He is a good and honest man who never stopped wanting to do what was right by his people.. no matter how much mud they threw at him.
churchpunkmoms last blog post..Wordless Wednesday
Mr. Lady, fantastic choice.
Jen, it wouldn’t matter whether I agreed with you or not, this was beautifully articulated. You wrote this with grace and eloquence and I’m glad that BlogNosh chose to feature it.
Kudos to you.
Beautiful post. Few people are entirely good or entirely bad, even when it’s easier to see process the world that way.
Maggie’s Minds last blog post..Hearts and Feet Revisited
I think this post was beautifully written. No matter what political belief we hold we should respect our past, present, and future presidents. Sure, we may not always agree with them but they are there to do a job that we, the people, as a whole, elected them to do. To continue to criticize and dishonor them for the small things (or big things) is, in my opinion, not honorable.
I am not a huge Bush fan but I am not going to dwell on what he did wrong or what he didn’t do. I am going to move on.
pickels last blog post..Chinese New Year Trivia
Thank you so much! A beautifully written post. It is so refreshing to read something positive about Bush for once. I don’t think it will take Obama very long to realize that Bush did what was the best choice for our country at the time; even if it didn’t all turn out the way we expected.
Thanks again Jennifer! I whole-heartedly agree!
Thank you all for your kind and thoughtful comments. I know a lot of people disagree with me. That’s fine. Our differences make us really great.
Jennifers last blog post..Looky! Looky! I’ve been Noshed!
I see what you’re saying. But you’re fighting a fight that just isn’t worth… fighting anymore. It’s a new day. Let’s just move on.
Thanks for an honest look back on a great President, Someone above mentioned the restoration of faith in the office of President being restored with Obama, I do not attack our new President, but I believe after 8 years of lies and corruption of President Bill Clinton’s office we finally understood what “Is is” while President Bush was President. He was a man who kept to his convictions, who always strove to do right, just ask yourselfs why the very Troops he sent in to harms way loved him so much if he was so wrong? The hate that was thrown on him never gave others a chance to see clearly who he was, never before has a President been so thrashed from day one without cause and never have so many people believed so much propaganda as did in this Presidency. He left with grace even as the haters booed him. I feel sorry for them, not him. History will reflect the truth one day. God bless George W. Bush and God Bless the United States of America
This will break your heart: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123239885943895155.html?mod=rss_Today%27s_Most_Popular
I give him props for making it through without blowing his top. I think people just wanted to hear him say he screwed up (hey, even Presidents and their advisors are human), or things might not have gone the way he intended.
Jennifer is one of my favorite bloggers. This is why. She’s smart and she knows what she’s saying and is confident about it.
Jennifer W, OMG! *sniff sniff* That was just too sweet! I need some air!
Michaels last blog post..W - The President - Part IV - Finale
Thanks for writing exactly what i feel.
So many refuse to look at the big picture and that makes me sad.
If people spent as much time learning the truth about Bush instead of living in their bubbles listening to Obama cartoons, I think I could respect that more.
Once again, great post!
Missys last blog post..Revelations regarding Dora:
Real men?
I, too, am interested to see what historians write about our 43rd President. So far, academic analysts have ranked him as one of our worst, and he is leaving office with a dismal approval ranking from the very people who previously elected him. I personally believe that he inflicted many horrors, both through his policies and leadership and through his various henchman including Karl Rove, Condi Rice and Dick Cheney. I see them as no less than war criminals, but you are right, the perspective of time will tell.
Deb on the Rockss last blog post..Out, out damned Bush! Wax on, wax out!
Jennifer W-That was so sweet. Thank you for sharing it
Jennifers last blog post..Campaign Promises
While an incredibly eloquent post, the idea that George W. Bush is a man of integrity is woefully misguided. Just a couple weeks ago, he justified the war in Iraq by suggesting it was al Qaeda’s home base. When the interviewer corrected him, he dismissively replied, “So what?” I think a man who can so cavalierly dismiss the deaths of thousands of people — the deaths of thousands of people made possible by his decision to fight an unnecessary war — is completely lacking in integrity. Completely lacking.
Missives From Suburbias last blog post..Turbo Poop Will Not Win
Apparently you have lived in a different world than the rest of us for the last 8 years.
Was this supposed to be a serious post??? or an April fool’s joke a bit early.
I’m sorry, but I have to agree with your dissenters, here. This was not a humble, simple person who honestly screwed up, this man purposefully killed hundreds of thousands of people for profit and a gnarly vendetta. I should feel bad for him because he survived long enough to age poorly? Please. What about the babies, children, and teens who will never get to grow up at all because of him? Maybe his ragged appearance comes not from concern and stress, but from guilt and shame.
I don’t agree with a word you said, but I absolutely respect and admire the strengths of your opinions and your courage in voicing them, knowing that they might not be the most popular. Bravo.
Totally 110% agree with you….the word “grace” is definitely the word I use when I think of President Bush. Good on your for sharing so simply and so respectly a fond farewell post, no not popular but you are right….popular is not always right. I miss him already!
Here’s a thought….let’s just wait and see how long the honeymoon lasts with President Obama….until the ones who voted for him start moaning and groaning about his decisions. One thing is for sure, you cannot lead a country based on popular opionion…..it’s like a shifting shadow.
THANKS so much for sharing your thoughts with us!!!
p.s. and as for the above comment……WAR CRIMINALS?? Really? That’s just wrong.
As the wife of a 3 time deployed vet including a 14 month straight tour in Iraq, as the sister of a Katrina survivor who DAYS after the incident squeaked out of town because he was white and not objectionable to the ride he hitched, as the mother of two children CRUSHED by NCLB, as an underfunded non-benefits eligible employee at an organization crushed by budgetary cuts in a depressed economy, I can not disagree with this post more. I’m sure in each of those four categories there are those who would shout me down too.
Democracy is based on popular vote and the desires of the citizenry, though we do make valiant efforts to honor that without restricting the rights of individuals too much. I’ve resisted Obama’s charms too, but if inauguration day is any indication Obama has shown the ability to inspire 1.4 million people to peacefully and joyfully and patriotically assemble without inauguration related arrests. That’s power.
rebeccas last blog post..First Two Things, Then Off to Bed
Wow. That was incredibly brave of you to write that. And I have to agree with every word of it.
There are a lot of people in this country who aren’t really interested in a president who is willing to do what is right, they want a celebrity, a pretty package deal- someone who will make them feel good about themselves. Bush was never interested in that, but he was always interested in doing what was right. I’m so grateful for his service to this country, for my sake and my children’s.
LOVE the post, you are so-o-o right. PRESIDENT BUSH had more integrity, honor & elegance than all put together in DC now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I did not always agree with every decision but I knew he did his best and was not doing things to elevate himself but our country.
Dear God I will miss him
Beautifully written. I agree with every word. I had my disagreements with President Bush, but I will always respect him. I think he is a good man and I know in my heart he did what he thought was best for our country and he did it with dignity.
Gawd I’m so sick of the “war criminal” bleating. Give it a damn rest already. Congress voted for the effing war (WTF? Did no one learn how government works in 8th grade?) so string up Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, John Kerry et al. and every single member of congress who declared if that’s the reasoning you want to roll with.
WELL SAID. The End.
Actually, President Bush attempted to declare war without Congress’ approval - yes, they did eventually agree to the war, but that does not mean that Bush was not the driving force behind it.
I do, however, agree with much of your post, Jennifer. The man elected in 2000 is not the same man who left office in 2009. I do not agree that Bush did everything he did with the altruistic intent to protect the American people, but I do think that, given a term devoid of terrorism attacks and the need/desire to go to war, he might have been a decent president. I can’t, in good conscience, look back over the past eight years and say that Bush did a “good” job … but I still think that the general message of your post is a great one.
Thanks for taking the time to express your opinion!
http://archives.cnn.com/2002/LAW/08/columns/fl.dean.warpowers/
There is not much more I can add regarding President Bush. I believe history will evaluate him differently than the portrait which the current political left has painted of our President. Yes, there were things that were done under his presidency that I didn’t agree with, but but that is true about any President. In my opinion, he did an excellent job with what has handed to him: 9-11, the natural disaster of Katrina, the removal of Sadaam Hussein, and the constant “on the watch” against another terrorist attack on our soil. If President Bush did nothing else than to prevent another attack on the US by whatever actions he took (surveillance, wire tapping, etc.) then he deserves the thanks of the American people. I have no problem with the interrogations that were carried out at Gitmo and other detention facilities: American lives were saved. You should be grateful that he had the leadership to do this even though he was going to be vilified by the likes of the ACLU and other leftist organiszation, including the majority of the democratic party. Maybe it was justifiable to interrogate these people in this manner when you are aware that their form of justice is to behead people they have kidnapped or who disagree with their ideology. I suppose those who hate President Bush believe that our interrogations are what forced these terrorists to strap explosives on their children so that innocent people could be killed or maimed not to mention the demise of the children involved in their atrocities. Thank you “W” for your service to our country.