President Bush


 Each time I speak with President Bush I  tell him that I pray for him each day and that I believe he will be remembered as one of the great, if not the greatest president of this Country.

Most who read this will find the above statement very bold, especially since our President’s approval numbers are at their lowest.  It is easy for people to complain, criticize, even ”Monday morning quarterback” each decision he makes, especially in this time of war. We can ask ourselves why shouldn’t we just turn our backs on him, not support him, when all we hear are negatives about him?

 I realize sticking by our President is not the most popular thing to do, but by his side I will continue to stand!

Here are some of my many reasons for believing in him so strongly. First, within eight months of George Walker Bush raising his hand to become the 43rd President of the United States, our Country was attacked by those who hate us because of the freedoms we enjoy; religious, economic and otherwise. I believe those freedoms have helped spur the hatred of a group who want western ideals and Christianity eliminated from the face of the earth.  This hatred did not start on September 11, 2001 as it can be traced back many years to long before the Bush administration. (Click here to read “History Will Redeem Bush” by Ed Koch)

 I feel it is unfortunate that many citizens of this Country are misinformed in believing 2001 was the first terrorist attack on U.S. property. This is absolutely not the case!

We Americans seem to want the “fast track” on everything. The war on terror is a good example of our impatience.  President Bush told us in the very beginning that we were in for a long hard struggle. He said this war would take longer than any war we fought before and that it would not be conducted in a way we have seen before.  Our President told the American people upfront, that this war would be a war between different ideologies rather than against a particular country. He listed the countries harboring terrorists and named them the “Axis of Evil”. I was not the only one who thought he was strong when he spoke these words.  Many cheered at his commitment to stop the radical terrorists. He reminded us of the terrorists’ first bombing of the World Trade Center, their attack on the USS Cole and of the many US Embassy bombings all over the world. 

The sad irony is that many fault the President for doing exactly what he told us he was going to do! (Read U.S. Cites Progress in Iraq)

I know there have been many mistakes in fighting this war.  In doing something for the first time there will always be mistakes. There are those who say the lives of our young are not worth the “mistakes” we have made, but I beg to differ.   The brave men and women, who voluntarily joined the military and gave the ultimate sacrifice to free those who lived in fear and tyranny for over 35 years, will forever be heroes, not victims.

While there are a few in our military who make headlines when they complain or denounce our mission, the majority of our heroes tell a much different story.  They have seen and continue to fight for victory in our efforts to free the oppressed and to stabilize what was once an unstable ”hate anything western”  part of the world. These heroes volunteer to go back into battle to complete what they see as a worthwhile mission. Our brave men and women know what they are doing. They are protecting the very freedoms we have which are not available to others. (See July 6, 2008 article regarding our troops re-enlisting to fight the war on terror).

A second reason for supporting our President is to take a look at what fighting this war has accomplished: Women can now vote for the first time in Afghanistan and Iraq.  They are now able to become educated, start businesses, demonstrate when they disagree with their government, all of which six years ago  would  not have been possible.  Children who are poor or not from a prominent religious sect can now gain an education. In addition clean drinking water now flows where only dirty water was before.  Cell phones, refrigerators, washers and dryers, even satellite dishes and TV stations are now available.  Six years ago there was none of that.

A young Iraqi man who now lives in Everett went home to Iraq a couple of months ago.  He told a story to the local news of how he and his friends were riding on a bus in Baghdad arguing the merits of this war.  They were debating such questions as: was this war in the best interest of the Iraqi people or was it in the best interest of the USA?   Was Saddam an evil man or is President Bush an evil man? The young man said the voices were getting louder as his friends argued their opinions with more passion, at which point he had to laugh.  When they asked why he was laughing, he reminded them that six years ago they would not have even been able to argue their opinions in public.  Upon realizing this fact, they all agreed, this war had been worth it after all, and that the Americans needed to be thanked for the freedom they were now enjoying.

 When people talk badly about my President I keep reminding myself that most of the great men in history were not seen as great men during their lifetimes.  This reality reminds me of a story Karl Rove told me when I asked him if the President ever looks at his poll numbers and if so, how he feels about them being so low.  Karl replied by telling of a conversation he had with the President on this very topic.  The President’s response was ”I believe history will prove that we were right in our efforts. But by the time history sorts out the truth of the events we’ll both be dead and then it won’t matter, will it?”

I believe history will reveal a President who stood up to the terrorist threat when many other Presidents and government leaders stood silent.  I think history will tell a story of how George Bush, when under pressure to abandon those who we began to liberate, refused to stop just because public opinion dictated he should stop. Click here to read “History will say that we misunderestimated George W. Bush” by Andrew Roberts

I’ll keep telling our President that I believe he will be remembered as a great man. And, as the President believes, by the time my opinion of him is proven true…………well, you know the rest.