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Questioning President Bush
TownHall.com ^ | Friday, May 28, 2004 | by Marvin Olasky

Posted on 05/28/2004 12:26:01 AM PDT by JohnHuang2

THE WHITE HOUSE -- Battered but not beaten, President Bush met with several journalists here on Wednesday and said terrorists "want to sow fear so that we'll withdraw. I will not yield to them, to their blackmail, to their murders ..."

The "I" was not an anomaly. George W. Bush, taught to identify that one-letter word with ego, infrequently used it in small groups while governor of Texas and during 2001. After 40 months in the Oval Office, though, he is sure about his presidential role and willing to assert it. "The job of the president is to help cultures change," he said. "I can be a voice of cultural change."

He wants to influence domestic culture. He spoke, as he has before, of his opposition to abortion and his desire to "promote a culture of life, (with) every child welcomed to life and protected by law." He spoke, as he has done recently, about his commitment to a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman, but -- as with abortion -- cast himself in a supporting role: "People have to speak. ... I'll be glad to lend my voice." Asked about the extent of the popular outcry so far, he said, "I'm not sure people understand the issue," and he seemed inclined to fold the marriage question into one of judicial overreach: "I don't want this decided by judges. It's too big an issue."

President Bush also wants to influence Iraqi culture: Iraqis "haven't developed the habits of free people yet." But he believes they will, because "freedom is the Almighty's gift to every person in the world." He has aides researching statements of doubt made after World War II concerning the ability of the Japanese to develop a democracy, since they also had non-Western religious and political traditions

Asked if something inherently evil in Islam makes the process of peacemaking difficult, the president specified that he was condemning radicals with "a deep desire to spread an ideology that is anti-woman, anti-free thought, anti-art and science."

Is their religion at fault? "They conveniently use religion to kill. The religion I know is not one that encourages killing." Asked again about the nature of Islam, he smiled and said, "You're trying to lure me down a road ... where I'm incapable of winning the debate." Then he stated emphatically that our enemies "have a perverted view of what religions should be. ... These are people who will kill at the drop of a hat, and they'll kill anybody. That's not, at least, my view of religion."

He says all this in his intensely personal way. Some politicians orate: The late Barbara Jordan, for example, spoke to one person sitting across a desk from her the way she spoke to an entire Democratic convention, shaping each sentence as if it would soon be etched in marble. But George W. Bush converses: He knows what he wants to say, but he still utters a phrase and stops, looking for a head-nod or a smile of agreement.

So his "I" sounds not arrogant but self-consciously aware. He said, when asked about how he expresses his Christian faith, "I have a fantastic opportunity to let the light shine," but immediately followed that with a caveat: "I will do so, however, as a secular politician. ... My job is not to promote a religion but to promote the ability of people to worship as they see fit."

In that sense, he is ready to talk about what sustains him as president. His wife: "My marriage is really good." His own prayer: "I pray all the time. You don't need a chapel to pray ... I just do." The prayer of others: When he shakes hands on the campaign trail, "every other person or every third person says, ‘My family prays for you.'" His reading: "I read Oswald Chambers every morning. ... If you can figure out everything he's saying, then you have a depth of understanding of the gospel beyond the emotional."

But President Bush also knows how talking about such matters is suspect, for good reason: "I'm sometimes in a world of fakery, obfuscation (yes, he knows and can use big words), political bank shots, so I'm very mindful of the use of faith in this process." He says he's not concerned about how journalists judge him: "Short-term history will be written by people who didn't particularly want me to be president to begin with." He expresses a deeper concern: You "can't use your faith as a shallow attempt to garner votes. Otherwise, you'll receive the ultimate condemnation."

One thing that's changed about George W. Bush during his 40 White House months is his short list of presidents he admires. He's still a Reagan and a Lincoln fan, but he now talks more of Lincoln's role as a wartime president. New to his list is Franklin Roosevelt, because of FDR's growing awareness that Hitler had to be stopped: "In the face of another ‘ism,' he saw the problems clearly."

No. 43 is also learning more about No. 1, and particularly George Washington's thinking during the troubled Articles of Confederation period of the 1780s. President Bush uses history to make contemporary practical applications: Americans who expect Iraq to have an elegant constitution in one year's time should look to our own difficult experience.

The president touched on other subjects -- his hope for improvements in Sudan and in Cuba, his concern for Israel: "We will stand side by side with Israel if anyone tries to annihilate her" -- but came back to what for him is the hardest part of being a war president: "death."

When visiting the grieving, he said, "part of my job is to comfort ... hug them, laugh with them, cry with them, hold them, do whatever I can." He then said, with his straight-in-the-eyes look: "After most of those encounters, I'm the one who gets inspired. ... You hear amazing statements from the mouths of these grieving souls, inspired by the Almighty."


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bush43; marvinolasky; olasky

1 posted on 05/28/2004 12:26:02 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
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To: JohnHuang2
His faith is genuine and sincere.

If you have never seen it, I would recommend the video, The Jesus Factor.

Although there are a number of domestic policies I take issue with (CFR, AWB, immigration issues, some provisions of the Patriot Act, etc), I support his actions in the War on Terror, his general anti-abortion stand and hsi general pro-gun stand (with the glaring AWB exception) and I know he is a sincere Christian, which makes a huge difference for me, because it means to me he is open to guidance and inspiration, which gives great hope to our prayers...something I did not feel at all regarding the fromer occupant of the White House.

2 posted on 05/28/2004 12:36:41 AM PDT by Jeff Head
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To: JohnHuang2
In that sense, he is ready to talk about what sustains him as president. His wife: "My marriage is really good." His own prayer: "I pray all the time. You don't need a chapel to pray ... I just do." The prayer of others: When he shakes hands on the campaign trail, "every other person or every third person says, ‘My family prays for you.'" His reading: "I read Oswald Chambers every morning. ... If you can figure out everything he's saying, then you have a depth of understanding of the gospel beyond the emotional."

When visiting the grieving, he said, "part of my job is to comfort ... hug them, laugh with them, cry with them, hold them, do whatever I can." He then said, with his straight-in-the-eyes look: "After most of those encounters, I'm the one who gets inspired. ... You hear amazing statements from the mouths of these grieving souls, inspired by the Almighty."


These sort of things are the reason for my tagline.
3 posted on 05/28/2004 12:43:20 AM PDT by texasflower (in the event of the rapture.......the Bush White House will be unmanned)
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To: Jeff Head

You hit the nail on the head, my friend.


4 posted on 05/28/2004 1:02:46 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
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To: texasflower

Great tagline ;-)


5 posted on 05/28/2004 1:03:11 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
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To: JohnHuang2

Thank you.


6 posted on 05/28/2004 1:13:59 AM PDT by texasflower (in the event of the rapture.......the Bush White House will be unmanned)
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To: JohnHuang2

Thanks for a very uplifting post this morning.


7 posted on 05/28/2004 3:09:42 AM PDT by PROUDAMREP (Counting the days until Bush is re-elected)
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To: JohnHuang2; ohioWfan; Molly Pitcher
Oh, John, thank you for posting this! I needed something positive to start my day, and you certainly delivered with this article!

I am pinging a couple people to read this.

8 posted on 05/28/2004 3:25:11 AM PDT by Miss Marple
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To: Miss Marple; JohnHuang2

Excellent Jane. Appreciate the ping very much!


9 posted on 05/28/2004 3:30:21 AM PDT by Molly Pitcher
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To: JohnHuang2

bttt


10 posted on 05/28/2004 4:17:21 AM PDT by lainde (Heads up...We're coming and we've got tongue blades...And panties!)
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To: Miss Marple; Molly Pitcher
If you guys have never seen it...please get the DVD or video of:

The Jesus Factor

It is a GREAT account of President Bush's faith.

11 posted on 05/28/2004 6:23:42 AM PDT by Jeff Head
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To: Molly Pitcher; Miss Marple
A drive-by You're Welcome, Miss Marple :-)

G'morning and a great weekend to both of you!

12 posted on 05/28/2004 7:30:00 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
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To: Howlin; Mo1; MeekOneGOP; onyx; PhiKapMom

bumping


13 posted on 05/28/2004 7:36:41 AM PDT by deport (To a dog all roads lead home.......)
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To: JohnHuang2
So his "I" sounds not arrogant but self-consciously aware. He said, when asked about how he expresses his Christian faith, "I have a fantastic opportunity to let the light shine," but immediately followed that with a caveat: "I will do so, however, as a secular politician. ... My job is not to promote a religion but to promote the ability of people to worship as they see fit."


GWB's use of the word "I" is not the same as Clinton's use of the word "I".


President Bush uses history to make contemporary practical applications: Americans who expect Iraq to have an elegant constitution in one year's time should look to our own difficult experience.

Indeed.

14 posted on 05/28/2004 8:04:29 AM PDT by ride the whirlwind (Kerry wants to be the leader of the free world. Free for how long? - Zell Miller)
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To: deport; PhilDragoo; 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub; devolve
Good article. Thanks.

15 posted on 05/28/2004 8:48:10 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP (There is ONLY ONE good Democrat: one that has just been voted OUT of POWER ! Straight ticket GOP!)
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To: deport

Thanks, deport.
Bookmarking this one.


16 posted on 05/28/2004 9:55:00 AM PDT by onyx (Rummy's job is winning the war, not micro-managing some damn prison.)
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To: MeekOneGOP


good read








17 posted on 05/28/2004 11:00:20 AM PDT by devolve (````````````````` [..........................Hello from Sunny South Florida.........................)
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