Posted on 01/16/2009 2:57:31 AM PST by JohnHuang2
President Bush, in his final public remarks to close out a tumultuous presidency, asked his many critics to judge him on his ability to prevent a repeat of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and on his self-proclaimed purity of motive, while hailing his successor's inauguration as a "moment of hope." Continues...
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Mr. Misunderestimated won't be misunderestimated much longer
Bush's address tonight beamed with all that became his trademark qualities and attributes: Magnanimity, pure class, relentless charm, dazzling wit, unyielding resolve, simple grace, easy elegance and quiet dignity seasoned with thoughtfulness, firmness of purpose and a hang-tough adherence to moral principles and conviction -- the very things that for eight years drove liberals to embrace madness.
The speech was marked by Bush's relentless optimism and his indisputable sense of confidence, epitomizing why the man connected with voters so well as to win two terms. Yet, if any reminder was needed that George W. Bush was that rare politician who didn't give a lick about polls nor image-making nor how he should package himself, whose appeal to people was rooted in action and his principled stand on issues, this speech -- a no-apologies tour de force of the Bush record -- was it. You may not always agree with him but he always says what he means and you're never in doubt as to where the chap stands.
Bush is at once a powerful leader and a humble man, a take-charge president imbued with a warm, gentle decency and quiet politeness and decorum unheard of in politics, yet a man who wasn't just marking time but instead leaving a permanent imprint in the sands of history.
Even against the sustained heavy artillery barrage of personal attacks these past eight years, Bush remained an undaunted living profile in dignity and poise, ungrudgingly carrying out the most difficult task in the most stressful job in the world -- leading America in wartime with liberal ninnies nagging every step of the way. For eight years, libbies have hysterically attacked Bush as a war criminal, war deserter, warmonger, moron, 9/11 mastermind, idiot, liar, Nazi, evil Zionist, Texas theocrat, murderer -- all the while prodigiously cranking out books and movies dreaming of the day when Bush gets knocked off. For liberals, it was a profound disappointment that a live grenade that landed near Bush in Tbilisi's Freedom's Square didn't go off.
Bush, never whining nor stooping to the level of his insane critics, is a man truly more than worthy of the office -- unlike that empty suit what's-his-face who'll enter it in four days.
Other than liberating 60 million people in Iraq and Afghanistan and creaming al-Qaeda on its home court and forcing Libya to cry uncle and busting up the A.Q. Khan network (just in time to bring Laura her coffee on a tray in the morning!), perhaps no aspect of Bush's foreign policy has infuriated liberals more than Bush's unflinching and courageous support of Israel. Liberals opposed toppling Saddam Hussein because it would help Israel. Liberals oppose bombing Iran because it would help Israel. Before getting toppled from his golden toilet seat in Bush's "failed" war, Saddam was busily showering money on murderers of Jews in Israel. Upping the ante, Iran's nuclear mullahs want to nuke Israel off the map. So nothing enrages liberals more than Bush's support of Jews in their right to defend themselves. Bush would be hailed as a hero if only he would let Muslims finish the job Hitler started.
To be sure, Bush made his share of mistakes, don't we all? And you can quibble over this or that nettlesome single issue or pet peeve, but the upshot of Bush's tenure isn't the Dow Jones or Bush's poll position in France, but rather his performance on what came to be the core issue of his presidency, emblemized in the clarion call blaring defiantly from his bullhorn amid the ruins of Manhattan in 9/11's wake. From atop a charred firetruck, surrounded by crowds of cheering firefighters and rescue workers in hardhats, Bush famously declared the days of fraidy-cat, wimpy kid-glove treatment for homicidal Islamic maniacs are over. The Taliban soon got a taste of what he meant. What would Obama have done? "Well, the first thing we'd have to do is make sure we've got an effective emergency response . . . [then] find out do we have any intelligence on who might have carried it out . . ." Hmmm, planes flown into skyscrapers . . . whodunnit? Any ideas??? The Jesuits? The Amish?
Whereas Zero's first act after a ghastly 9/11-style attack is to check with FEMA, Bush more than rose to the occasion, laying out the blueprint to fix the problem and win the war, regularly delivering laser-guided messages to al-Qaeda that the Ol' Great Satan is in it for the long haul. The old paradigm was 'reactive', the new paradigm was pro-active. Liberals responded by poring over Bush's every move to find mistakes, then running to MSNBC to pout on TV.
In fact, the Big Lie is the Lie that Democrats fully supported the war against Muslim fanatics after 9/11. Two weeks after the U.S. air campaign in Afghanistan was launched, Joe Biden started whining that the war was dragging on too long for him. "How much longer does the bombing continue?" the little Treasoncrat wanted to know. "Because we're going to pay every single hour, every single day it continues, we're going to pay an escalating price in the Muslim world." Biden complained hysterically that "bombing" terrorists from the air "plays into every stereotypical criticism of us" as "this high-tech bully." We should sit down and talk to the Taliban, play nice and all will be well. This little twerp is America's next vice president. Not to worry, his boss is President-elect Nobody.
The general consensus among the media class is that history will be kinder to Bush than they were, an implicit admission that they were lying about him all along, or presenting only a little slice of the picture. But you don't need to wait years for things to play out when six months (or less) will do. Already, Obama is moving rapidly to build the most inept and corrupt administration since the last Democrat administration, whether it's appointing a tax cheat to head the Treasury, a bribe-by to head Commerce (since withdrawn), a scandal factory punkster for chief of staff, a mental case for Climate Commissar, or Eric Holder to "rigorously and impartially" break the law at DOJ. But, hold on. In the Blaggy affair, you've got Rahm, Axelrod and Obama. In short, this could go as high as the top three stooges.
The whiners will whine on about Katrina and Abu Ghraib, but if the "Palestinians" haven't danced in the streets in seven years, you've got Bushitler's war to blame for that. Not so much as an itty-bitty, itsy-bitsy, teensy-weensy al-Qaeda firecracker has gone off on U.S. soil since 9/11, and the best the Jihadi lads can muster these days is binny's sickly voice on cheap audiotape. But all this is more than just how many "warrantless" wiretap bills or Patriot Acts got passed or the number of fierce bureaucrats filling positions at Homeland Security. Fat lotta good it does to have these tools if the chap at the top doesn't have the crazies convinced that he's crazier than they are. At Jihad Central, I doubt the admonition is, 'We have nothing to fear but the Patriot Act itself!'
One 9/11 hit cost binny and the boys two terrorist sanctuaries -- Afghanistan and Iraq. Not to slough off wiretaps and the Patriot Act, but a big deterrent factor has been Bush himself. Thoughts of Bush aren't where jihadists go to get warm and fuzzy feelings.
Mr. President, thank you for your unwavering leadership, for your steadfast resolve, for your unyielding determination to keep us safe, for giving of yourself in the most thankless job imaginable. May God bless you and Laura with lots of health and happiness in the years ahead. We miss you already.
Anyway, that's...
My Two Cents...
"JohnHuang2"
Ping...
John, couldn’t have said it better myself. Well said!
“Thankyou, President Bush, and Godspeed.”
You've written a beautiful testimony to President Bush, JohnHuang2.
It boggles the mind to realize how quickly eight years go by.
W, there are a goinng to be a lot of people who are going to miss the days when adults and non-marxist were running the country. Best to you in retirement. You’ve earned it.
The only thing that could be added to that beautiful tribute is “And he has a first lady with a lot of class”.
That will not be said of the next president.
Thank you John!
Choking back tears...Godspeed Mr. President. I am proud to be one who voted FOR you twice.
Thanks JH for a beautiful tribute!
I missed it. Have to watch it online this evening. As much as I’ve ragged on him I’m going to miss him.
obama is a punk. A thug.
Departing to eat dinner last night at the exact moment that the President was delivering his farewell speech. Pure class, obama...pure ass.
JH2-
I hope you send this fine tribute to the opinion page of the three papers you’ve linked here this morning.
si.
i respect president george w bush.
This is the best I have seen and states, so well, the truth about the Bush administration.
Already, we see what is happening in this great nation of ours with an inept president. The lack of integrity will show daily and we will suffer greatly because so many hated President Bush. A difference in philosophies is one thing but blind hatred has been a great burden that President Bush has carried with dignity and grace...something we will see none of in the next four years, I fear.
Thanks, John, for your thoughts.
...And love an empty suit! Wisdom is really starting to rapidly wane in this great nation.
Thank You John,thank you.
Well said Huang! He was a great President during very tough times.
Pray for W, America and Our Troops
I say within a yr! The Demonrat myth dies, but our country is going with it. Finally some justice.
Thank you for a beautifully written farewell, John. It seems such a short time ago that we were following his campaign.
He is the best president in my lifetime. I will sure miss him, but it’s time for him to go home to the state and the family he loves. May God bless him all the days of his life.
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