And look what his "New Tone" has gotten him... 40% approvals. This "new Tone" thing isn't working too well.
Say what you like about President Bush's "new tone." It tells us everything we need to know about his outlook on life. He's only responsible for his own actions, not the actions of the rest of the world.
It's refreshing to have a leader that knows the difference between right and wrong and lives his life that way even if it does hurt his poll ratings. It just affirms how far the morals of many people have slipped.
Just imagine how much self-control it requires to carry out this "new tone" and to not fire back at your critics. Personally, I hope he writes his autobio after leaving office and let's us know what he really thought of his years in DC.
You gave me another good example why I admire him. He does what is right, does not chase the poll.
You said: And look what his "New Tone" has gotten him... 40% approvals. This "new Tone" thing isn't working too well.
***
You are correct, IF one measures oneself by what others think of you. I try not to do that, and I hope you do also. If President Bush is doing what he thinks is right (and I do disagree with him on a few things), the approval numbers are irrelevant. Polls are for those who seek to guide their behavior by popular approval.
Mr. Bush is conducting himself for history, not gotcha points in the short term. He is doing what he thinks is right. While I am sure he hopes others agree, whether they do or not won't affect how he works. I like that. We need more of it.
His new tone got him elected twice as gov of Texas and twice as President. I'd say it works very well.
So, as President of the United States you decide how to spend your time. Petty cat fights which diminish the status of the office, or spend that time working away doing as much as possible for the American people.
We saw this trait in Bush when he called in Jim Baker to handle the manipulations and quarrels over the first election - where was Bush? He was back at his ranch setting up the new government for when he finally got in office. He just checked in with Baker daily to hear the details.
Amazing to me. We all hung on the newsreports following the drama. Not Bush, he delegated it and took the positive stance that he was indeed going to need to get his government in place.
One of the reasons I realized that Bush was an extraordinary man with faith, confidence and determination. He does not get sidetracked.