Posted on 01/24/2009 8:48:45 AM PST by IbJensen
Watching the inauguration of President Barack Obama, I was impressed by the graciousness and civility by the two presidents at the platform during the transition. To tepid applause, Mr. Obama began his Inaugural Address by thanking George W. Bush for his service. As the camera panned to Mr. Bush, the 43rd president seemed non-responsive, sad.
After the ceremony, the Obamas and Bushes slowly descended the Capitol steps together, almost arm in arm—two presidents and two first ladies, two couples, four Americans, four people. They chatted quietly, amicably. The Obamas escorted the Bushes to the helicopter. They hugged, shook hands, George Bush gave Michelle Obama a kiss on the cheek. The helicopter flew away.
Graciousness. Civility.
I watched this on MSNBC. It was all so moving that it threw me for a loop when, as the Bush helicopter gradually disappeared from sight, the camera fixed on an Obama supporter carrying a giant sign that read: “BUSH GO TO HELL.” (I’ve since learned that such rude gestures were more common than I had realized, including the crowd chanting at Bush, “na na na na … hey, hey, hey, goodbye. Click here.)
My mind immediately raced back to the inauguration of George W. Bush in January 2000. On that other January day, Mr. Bush used his inaugural address as an opportunity to call for unity after the terribly divisive 2000 presidential election. “Unity,” he said shortly into his speech, “is within our reach, because we are guided by a power larger than ourselves, Who creates us equal in His image.” He spoke of the need for compassion, character —and civility.
He defined compassion as the work of a nation. He interjected one of his favorite Biblical stories — the account of the Good Samaritan. He made a “pledge” in those first presidential minutes: “When we see that wounded traveler on the road to Jericho, we will not pass to the other side.” Though no one could have foreseen it, Mr. Bush would later (April 2003) invoke that same parable in explaining to a shocked White House press corps why he was about to take the unprecedented step of spending $15 billion on African AIDS relief in a period of record budget deficits and amid a major war in Iraq — and with tens of billions more yet to follow.
The benediction at the 2000 inauguration was done by Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, of the Windsor Village United Methodist Church, an African-American congregation in Houston that Mr. Bush addressed as governor. Rev. Caldwell, who described himself as politically independent but a “spiritual supporter” of Mr. Bush, urged forgiveness: “Almighty God, the supply and supplier of peace, prudent policy, and non-partisanship, we bless your holy and righteous name. Thank you, O God, for blessing us with forgiveness.”
Yet, while unity and forgiveness, and compassion and civility, were themes for President Bush that January day in 2000, not everyone seemed in the mood — or quite so willing.
Near the inaugural grandstand, angrily enduring the spattering cold rain, anti-Bush activists floated black balloons and hoisted placards with phrases like “Dubious George,” “Hail to the Thief,” and “Bushwhacked by the Supremes.” One of the dissenters, Shelly Levine of Washington, DC, braved the weather to instruct a reporter: “Let Bush see that more than half the people here don’t believe in him.”
The new president got in his new car and began heading to the White House along the inaugural parade route. As the first car in his presidential motorcade moved down Constitution Avenue, it was greeted by a flame engulfing an American flag. The woman who ignited the fire was whisked away by Capitol police. Just then, an enraged demonstrator dove from a light pole into the crowd below.
A few blocks away, near 14th and K streets, protesters blocked the route down Pennsylvania Avenue. Jed Dodd, a union organizer from Philadelphia, complained of the new president: “I don’t even think he won Florida. I came down here to show my outrage.”
Similar demonstrations took place all over the country, from New York to San Francisco, from Chicago to Seattle. Closer to my home, a group of 100 in Pittsburgh paused for a moment of silence “for the death of democracy” at the moment Mr. Bush placed his hand on the Bible. He was dubbed “King George” and “President Death.” “The presidency is in the process of being stolen,” explained one organizer, Jeanne K. Clark, president of the local chapter of the National Organization for Women.
That was the reaction to the inauguration of George W. Bush in January 2000. The response was very different for Barack Obama in January 2008.
George W. Bush’s foes should ponder the graciousness and civility before them at the inaugural grandstand on Tuesday — from both the president they elected and the one they despised.
Typical Obomba fan. They prefer the hammer and sickle.
Gotta love these tolerant, peaceful, compassionate democrat supporters.
They also egged Bush's car in 2000. That was how Michael Moore began his crap film F-9/11 with that scene.
Next liberal you see, plant once across its jaw! It's the patriotic thing to do!
However admirable those qualities may be in a better world; in this one, with the 'rat party as it is, it was naive on Bush's part to think he could play nice with them. And no, I don't think he should have attacked them during his inaugural address; bat later, when the crowds went away, he should have been better prepared to counter the onslaught that they unleashed on him.
This just illustrates that the left is a bunch of barbarians.
Like the WOT where you have to fight at their level to win. You can't compromise and be nice.
The radicals run the RAT party now and in 2000.
Bush made a critical mistake when he more or less absolved Clinton of his crimes (he should have stayed out of it and let justice take it's course). He made a critical mistake when he did not clean house in Justice and the State Department.
These two critical mistakes haunted him from inside his administration like a cancer.
Now his payment for being so gracious is to be foisted up on a spear when the RATS try to prosecute him for various imagined crimes.
Actually saw several pro-Obama demonstrations before the 2008 election where there were folks waving the flag of the old USSR, the big red banner with the hammer & sickle, including one in front of the White House (you can probably pull up a video of it online somewhere).
Deck a liberal each day - keep the freeloaders at bay. I like it.
Not to speak of the CIA. It was State and the CIA that prevented us from installing a temporary government of exiles in Iraq, because they hated Chalaba. Instead we got Brenner who did nothing right. It was Chalaba who told us that if Al Qaeda would fail, it would be after the Sunnis handed them over to us. The surge gave the Sunnis the assurance that they could do this.
Didn’t the Clinton people vandalize the Whit House and take “W” off computer keyboards?
So far I haven’t heard of any such things happening by the Bush people, and I am sure if they did, we would have heard about it by now. Just another difference.
“Bush made a critical mistake when he more or less absolved Clinton of his crimes...(and) made a critical mistake when he did not clean house in Justice and the State Department.”
I disagree with you as to the first point, because it really wasn’t up to Bush to either absolve or condemn; but as to your second point, I wholeheartedly agree.
They took the toilet paper and the soaps.
The Bush people took the soap and TP?
It’s an old habit they got from staying at places like Day’s Inn.
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