This man has always walked alone, in company only of his conscience.
With Laura by his side, Bush said the event, combined with a Midland sendoff just before he took office in 2001, were good bookends to his administration. Throughout the speech, Bush mixed humor with a rundown of his accomplishments.
“This guy who went to Sam Houston Elementary School, spent the night in Buckingham Palace,” he said, drawing laughs from the crowd.
Bush also joked about his mother's response to learning his childhood home was being turned into a museum in Midland.
“She said you better go clean your room,” the former President said.
And he said the most important meeting of his life took place in a backyard in Midland.
“I met a hometown girl named Laura Welch, I fell in love that day,” he said. “I convinced her to marry me a couple months later and I have been blessed ever since.”
Among the achievements Bush touted of his administration were bringing freedom to 50 million people in Iraq and Afghanistan, cutting taxes, improving senior citizens access to prescription drugs and bringing down racial discrepancies in education.
“I felt it was always important to tackle the tough issues of the day and never pass them on to future Presidents and future generations,” Bush said.
But the loudest cheers came from two statements. First, Bush said he didn't govern based on poll numbers, which most recently showed his approval ratings at 22 percent.
“Some things I did were unpopular - that's OK,” he said. “I always did what I felt was right.”
Bush then boasted of the United States not suffering a domestic terror attack since Sept. 11, 2001. But he also gave credit to the military.
“There is nothing I will miss more than being the Commander in Chief of such an unbelievable group of men and women,” he said.
Bush said future plans include writing a book, giving speeches and operating his Dallas library as a “place to promote the ideals of freedom and personal responsibility.”
The people of West Texas also drew praise from Bush.
“This is a place where people treat each other with decency and respect,” he said. “Where neighbors look after neighbors and character counts a whole lot.”
After the speech, two of Bush's more controversial staff members weighed in on their opinions of the former President.
Former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said it was a “bittersweet” day.
“He's had to make some very tough decisions, but he had to courage to do so,” he said. “I'm proud to have served alongside him.”
Karl Rove, Bush's deputy chief of staff from 2001 to 2007, said Bush would be remembered as a “war-time commander and liberator” abroad and a “bold reformer” at home.
“He wasn't concerned with small ball and what the polls said,” said Rove, who was at the event as a commentator for Fox News.
Earlier in the day, Bush turned the keys to the country over to President Barack Obama at Obama’s Inauguration in Washington, D.C. But he showed no signs of wear and tear at the rally.
For a half hour after his speech, Bush shook hands and chatted with members of the crowd, which included dignitaries like Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, State Rep. Tryon Lewis, R-Odessa and U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Midland, who flew in from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., with the Bushes.
But while Bush said it was nice to be home, he left as quickly as he arrived. As dusk overtook the Permian Basin, many still lined the roads on the way back to the airport, where two large spotlights made the Presidential plane a beacon that could be seen for miles.
This man has always walked alone, in company only of his conscience.
Have you heard what they have been doing since the 20th? Resting?
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