I think many of you were more perceptive than me, or paying more attention. All I knew was that I was thoroughly disgusted by Bill and Hillary Clinton, and that I wanted no part of Al Gore. I guess I wasn't paying enough attention to recognize the qualities of George Bush. As many have said, 9/11 changed everything -- for us and for our President.
That said, it is amazing to see how much he's grown in stature and as a leader through the events of that first Presidency. No one becomes a different person, but I think that certain qualities in him have been honed and refined by his experiences of the past four years.
I was driven to my knees in prayer for this man to be our President. My boss (a Republican) was very worried about me. My children thought I had lost it. For example, I am a sound sleeper....have slept through earthquakes, alarm clocks going off, phones ringing, sirens blaring, rushing to the house fire across the street--but no sound sleeper was I during that election. I was awakened, somehow, every night, to pray, for months. (There's a bit more, but what I said will probably suffice.) So, I don't know what you'd call that--but I knew, I just knew.