A day in the life of President Bush (10/8/05): photos

WhiteHouse.gov; Yahoo News Photos ^ | 10/8/05

[Wolfstar]

What a week's it's been! At the end of the week, I bought a new book -- "102 Minutes," by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn. Based on hundreds of interviews, as well as thousands of pages of oral histories, transcripts of phone and email messages, and emergency radio calls, the book is the first to tell the story of what happened inside the World Trade Center Twin Towers on the morning of September 11, 2001.

At this stage of my life, I'm not a person who cries easily anymore, although there are plenty of tears locked inside. Yet, even as I began reading the Author's Notes, tears wanted to flow. Why? I could not help but think of the one man on whose shoulders the responsibility fell for getting us, as a nation, through the horrific ordeal of those immediate minutes, hours, days and weeks. It was the most searing national event any of us has ever known, with the possible exception of those who are old enough to remember Pearl Harbor.

At 8:46:31 a.m. that morning, as the first plane slammed into the north tower, George W. Bush had been President of the United States just 7 1/2 months. He had taken the Oath of Office that past January 20th, when he borrowed from Thomas Jefferson to speak of an angel in the whirlwind directing "this storm."

Indeed.

Only presidents Washington, Madison, Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt faced times of comparable danger to the nation. Yet the fact that the United States was a mature, secure country -- the world's only superpower -- which had not experienced an attack from a foreign source on any of its states in 193 years, made what George W. Bush faced on 9/11/01 unique, and on some levels, more difficult than the challenges faced by his predecessors.

How fleeting a thing is human memory in the short term, and yet how exceedingly long over history's passage.

This week we have witnessed some of the worst of human nature as invective, fickleness, and downright cruelty were heaped on the President and Harriet Miers, his Supreme Court nominee from people who purport to be his supporters. Nevertheless, history will have the last laugh. President George W. Bush is a great man. A genuinely great man. His place in history was secured by the dignity, grace and courage with which he handled the cards dealt him during his presidency. He has seen his nation through some of its darkest times - the 9/11 attacks; anthrax attacks; one of our most catastrophic natural disasters -- and has brought it through strong, healthy and, yes, even self-confident enough to return to stupid partisan politics as usual over a Supreme Court nominee.

Although it could happen at any time, the fact is that we have not been attacked here at home in the past four years. There has not been another, wider bioweapons attack. The history of the Middle East is being changed for the better right before our eyes. This is GWB's legacy, and it is one for the ages.

Domestic politics will always be with us, and it will always stir transitory passions among ideologues. If this President has not met every domestic policy challenge as well as some might desire, I would still say he has done more than enough. More than enough between January 20, 2001 and October 8, 2005 to deserve the eternal gratitude and admiration of the American people. But even if every other person in this land of my birth should desert him, I never will. He has earned my trust, my loyalty, my admiration and yes, my love, forever.

[Wolfstar]

Pinging you to the Saturday Dose.

[Jemian]

Good evening.

[luvie]

Present!

[Freedom'sWorthIt]

Hi, Wolfstar - thank you (AND ALL DOSE POSTERS) for the ping!

[Wolfstar]

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Barney accompanies The Boss back to the White House the day GWB returned after flying over the Gulf Coast shortly after Hurricane Katrina struck.

[nwrep]

God Bless Bush.

[Wolfstar]

Courage personified.

[nwrep]

God Bless Bush.

[Wolfstar]

I have sworn to uphold, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. That oath requires me to seek the advice and consent of the Senate of the United States regarding my nominations. It does not -- repeat, does not -- include taking marching orders from Ann Coulter, Pat Buchanan, Bill Kristol, David Frum and any other elitist snobs from the Left or the Right.

[Wolfstar]

So let's see...another day, another crucial nomination to consider. President Bush wants to pick a replacement for retiring Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan as soon as possible, the White House said on Friday. [What an incredibly momentous presidency this is.]

[Wolfstar]

Doesn't it ever strike you as peculiar that reporters spend their lives peering at other people's lives? They get to judge other people. Smear other people. Sneer at other people. And rarely, if ever, do they come under the same scruitny.

The media gathers around President Bush and Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany of Hungary in the Oval Office Friday, Oct. 7, 2005.

[Wolfstar]

A repeat of the President sharing a hearty laugh and sweet moment with another person never hurts.

President Bush with Maria Hines of Albuquerque, N.M., in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Oct. 7, 2005, where he honored six recipients of the President's Volunteer Service Awards, as part of the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

GWB in the WH Red Room with recipients of the President's Volunteer Service Awards. From left to right with President Bush are John Diaz of Crowley, Colo., Manuel Fonseca of Nashville, Tenn., Marie Arcos of Houston Texas, Maria Hines of Albuquerque, N.M., Eleuterio "Junior" Salazar of Bradenton, Fla. and Dr. Elmer Carreno of Silver Spring, Md.

[NordP]

Well put~

[Wolfstar]

I think I can hear Coulter screeching all the way across town. Sounds a lot like Helen Thomas on a good day.

[Wolfstar]

President Bush attends a wreath laying ceremony at London's Westminster Abbey in this November 20, 2003 file photo. Yahoo used the following photo to accompany this caption: "A Palestinian leader quoted George W. Bush as saying God told him to invade Iraq, but said he did not take the U.S. president's comment literally and saw it only as a reflection of his faith and commitment." [Sheesh! What's next from GWB's opponents?]

[Wolfstar]

Vice President Cheney shakes hands with veterans of the 526th Armored Infantry Battalion, Friday, Oct. 7, 2005, after delivering remarks during a wreath-laying ceremony at the National World War II Memorial in Washington D.C.

"I count it a privilege to stand in the presence of men who were sent into battle by President Franklin D. Roosevelt...and who, by your courage and honor and devotion to duty, helped to win a war and change the course of history," said the Vice President told the soldiers, widows and family members who attended the ceremony. The 526th AIB is the sole remaining, separate armored infantry battalion from World War II. Its soldiers defended the Belgian villages of Stavelot and Malmedy on December 16, 1944, the first day of the Battle of the Bulge.

Yesterday was a chilly, rainy day in Washington.

[mrs tiggywinkle]

**I have sworn to uphold, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. That oath requires me to seek the advice and consent of the Senate of the United States regarding my nominations. It does not -- repeat, does not -- include taking marching orders from Ann Coulter, Pat Buchanan, Bill Kristol, David Frum and any other elitist snobs from the Left or the Right. **

Amen to that!!!

I'm beyond *sick* and *tired* of the putrid lashing these individuals are spewing. For shame.

Oh...good evening Wolfie and thank you for the Dose. :o)

[Wolfstar]

A soldier plays taps upon the conclusion the wreath-laying ceremony at the National World War II Memorial yesterday. The Vice President Dick Cheney said, "...You served honorably in a desperate era for our country. And in pivotal hours of the Second World War, the 526th Armored Infantry Battalion was a valiant unit...One of the great strengths of this country is the unselfish courage of the citizen who steps forward, puts on the uniform, and stands ready to go directly into the face of danger."

[NordP]

Wow, Wolfstar - I hope the Pres gets to read what you wrote. Absolutely superb. You are so right on about it all.

God Bless Our President (my inspiration on a daily basis) George W. Bush.