Posted on 11/01/2004 1:34:07 PM PST by PhiKapMom
For America, these years will always stand apart. We have faced great challenges together these last four years – a September morning none of us will ever forget, recession, and war. Together, we rose to the challenge. We made the tough choices. And because of the steadiness and resolve of the man who stood at the center of the storm, we are safer and stronger than we were four years ago. Today, America is back. Our economy is back. Hope is back.
Through turbulent times, President George W. Bush has been solid as a rock. He took an economy that was faltering, and through his actions, set it on a road to recovery. When it was unpopular to talk about how we could do a better job helping children learn, he fought for and passed the most sweeping education reforms in a generation. Facing a determined enemy hoping for weakness or uncertainty, he vowed to do whatever it took to defend America…
And he kept his word.
Accomplishments can define a Presidency. But sometimes, the people you meet along the way can tell you something about its meaning. Over the last four years, George and Laura Bush have been witness to the kindness and quiet strength of the American people. The stories of courage that have inspired them are more than you can count -- and they are central to the story of this Presidency.
It was September 14, 2001, and we had just been attacked. The President had traveled to New York City to thank the rescue workers, and comfort those who had lost a husband or wife, son or daughter, mom or dad. The men in that rubble had worked around the clock, beyond the point of exhaustion, to rescue the fallen. When the President came, they gathered around him. What he did next will not soon be forgotten. You see, he still hears the men who shouted “whatever it takes.” Through all the difficult decisions a President has to make, he remembers.
There is nothing that could prepare you for what would come next – meeting with hundreds of families who had lost loved ones. The scheduled forty-five minutes turned into an hour. An hour turned into two hours. And towards the end, he met Arlene Howard, mother of Port Authority police officer George Howard, who fell bravely trying to rescue others. Arlene had something for him – her son’s police shield. She asked him not to forget the fallen. Today, George W. Bush carries Shield Number 1012. And he is proud to call Arlene Howard his friend.
A little over a month later, President Bush would again return to New York City. The occasion was the World Series – and the first pitch at the first game at Yankee Stadium. Before the game, he ran into Derek Jeter, who set the bar high for the President. “In New York,” he told the President, “you throw from the mound,” adding, “Don’t bounce it, they’ll boo you.” Good-natured joking aside, there was a problem: the President’s protective vest meant that he could barely move his arms. Well, President Bush took to the top of that mound anyway. And when he threw a perfect strike, the chants of “USA! USA! USA!” told us loud and clear: We were back.
More often than not, the defining moments of a Presidency come when nobody's watching. Sgt. Mike McNaughton of the Louisiana National Guard had lost a leg in Afghanistan. President Bush to see him at Walter Reed Army Hospital, and asked him, "What do you like to?" “I like to run,” he told the President. “Well, some day you and I are going to run on the South Lawn of the White House.” And one morning Sgt. McNaughton showed up. They ran the track three times together.
The call to help someone in need knows no barrier of race, creed, or nationality. The yearning for freedom is universal. That's why when the door to the Oval Office opened one day, Dr. Raja Khuzai from Iraq, who was on the other side, greeted our President as "My liberator!" and then began to cry. And so did he. Another proud moment came this past May, when the President had the privilege of welcoming to the Oval Office seven Iraqi men who had had their hands cut off by Saddam Hussein. They were on their way back home, after receiving surgically-implanted hands in Houston.
Everywhere this President goes, there’s a reminder of how much things have changed in the last four years, and the mission that still goes on. Few times was this more true than in Lebanon, Ohio, on May 4, when the President met 15-year-old Ashley Faulkner, whose mom had died in the World Trade Center. What followed is a hug that neither of them will ever forget.
From coast to coast, the President has met with the people going back to work, the small business owners who are expanding, with the parents whose children are now learning because of No Child Left Behind. More than anyone, he understands that policy isn't just numbers on a page; it's about government helping everyday people live their lives, not run their lives.
In four years, the world has changed in ways we could not have imagined. Here at home, the lives of military families have been touched by wars in faraway places, and 50 million are now free. Where tyranny once flourished, hope is defeating hatred. Many have wondered whether America would ever again see another Greatest Generation. That question was answered by the men who stormed the cockpit on Flight 93, by Sgt. Mike NcNaughton, by men like Pat Tillman, and by all who are defending us in the war on terror.
Last week, Lisa Johnson of Lake Stevens, Washington, reflecting on her brother, who everyday faces danger in Iraq:
You see, my brother “gets it.” He understands the meaning of duty, honor and sacrifice. He understands that much is at stake right now. The September 11th terrorist attacks forever changed things. Chris understands that we can no longer afford to be unwilling to tackle difficult challenges, or to prefer hyper cautious political correctness over boldness. He understands that we can no longer afford to be ambivalent about protecting our country’s freedoms. He also understands that we not only need, but already have, a President who will make difficult and perhaps unpopular decisions, to do what is best for this Country rather than for his own political or personal gain. Terrorism is a real and serious issue which HAS to be dealt with.
America needs a President who "gets it" -- a President who understands this fight deep in his heart and in his soul -- a leader who doesn't waver or flinch from the hard choices. The work we have begun together isn't finished, and it is hard. But it will be finished faster if we have the courage to confront these challenges in our time, so that our children and grandchildren can know peace.
As we reach the final hours, all of us know an undecided voter or two. to your friends. Let them know about the President's optimistic vision for four more years.
Throughout this campaign, your dedication and perseverance has inspired us. You get it. By standing strong with President Bush, you prove that hope is always stronger than pessimism and anger. Every challenge that's been placed before you -- you've met it, but there's one more, and it's a big one. If past performance is any indicator, President George W. Bush will win a resounding victory tomorrow.
Please vote.
Hi, Onxy. So here we are on the eve of the election at last. I don't plan on watching early returns. Will spend my time on FR instead.
As for Luis, ???, I don't know who he is.
What do you make of the huge flood of early voters in Miami, Grampa?
Luis lives in Miami area (I think).
I am in Mississippi.
I hope Bush is declared the winner by midnite here (CST)>
I don't have cable or dish set up here, so I can only
watch the networks...
I've been looking for a local GOP function for election eve,
but haven't found one, so I reckon I'll be here too.
bttt
I just came from this thread about early voting in Miami. I feel better now, because Miamians on that thread helped me understand better what's going on.
I'm with you....I've not allowed any of the liars to get to me. I KNOW BUSH WILL WIN ....AND VERY BIG!!!
Bump!
I am GLAD and relieved that you'll be heretomorrow evening too.
This dial-up laptop is slower than my own computer,
but I am grateful to Hildy for lending it to me!
Geeeez, I just cannot bear the thought of Kerry.
Like you, I'll be happy after tomorrow when we
won't have to hear or see him on the news every night.
CBS just said Kerry is leading in Ohio and Florida.
They could not be more wrong.
As riotously funny as those are,
I just want Kerry to go away...
I am so sick of the girlieman, I
cannot bear to watch him or hear him rant.
What a colossal bore and liar.
I just saw Kerry "stumping" on tv, wearing a Carhart jacket and a baseball cap. I'm just wondering if there's any other possible "pandering gear" that he can pile on his useless body.
Nope. I had missed his Halloween photo.
What a dunce. I truly hate him.
Here is a reality look at the economy with GW leading us inspite of 9/11, two wars (Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the WOT), and when the rats took over the senate in May of 2002:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1265430/posts
"Uncooperative" Economy (The Point)
News Central (c/o Sinclair Broadcasting) ^ | Oct 31, 2004 | Mark Hyman
Posted on 11/01/2004 3:13:57 PM PST by Angry Republican
If you are a Presidential candidate and you want to bash the economy you should at least hope the economy cooperates and performs badly.
Yes, I know the news gatekeepers keep putting out stories that the economy is in the toilet, but their reports are skewed with factual errors and selective editing.
Here are the facts. Consumer Expenditure Survey data for the most recent year available 2002 shows that the typical American household consisting of 2.5 persons spent $40,677, a growth of 2.9.
Data for 2003 is not yet available, yet we know that 2003 outperformed 2002 in almost every category.
Columbia Business School Dean Glenn Hubbard reports that the growth rate of real average hourly earnings rose 2.9 during his first four years.
Hubbard also notes that the real gross domestic product grew by 4.8% in the past 12 months, which is better than any of the eight years Clinton was in office.
While the monthly payroll survey of old economy jobs has been disappointing, the more accurate household survey which includes old and new economy jobs has registered impressive gains, underscoring the current unemployment rate which is better than 19 of the previous 25 years.
Of course, there's always room for improvement in the economy's performance. The impressive growth in productivity and GDP, as well as sensible tax relief for one million small businesses, suggest that increased job production is right around the corner. Then imagine just how fast the economy will grow.
And that's the Point.
I'm Mark Hyman.
Also Kerry's crowd in his Wisconsin appearance today looks thin compared to the huge crowds turning out for our Dubya. (Kerry is hugging his daughters.)
God help us all if we have to suffer through four years of Kerry's bizzare hand gestures, funereal face, and communist policies.
Question: What does John Kerry have in common with these two pumpkins?
Answer: All three are empty, hollowed-out vegetables.
Bush has Curt Shilling. Kerry wears the same cap as Curt Shilling.
You can try put the "country" into the traitor, but you can't take the traitor out of the "man". Notice the Jane Fonda salute. Kerry just can't help himself.
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