Andrew Sullivan: Victory is an article of faith for Bush

The Sunday Times (U.K.) ^ | 10/28/2001 | Andrew Sullivan

[floriduh voter]

And you are a theologian with years of study and contemplation? I like Jakes. That is not complicated.

[1stMarylandRegiment]

Turning one's Life and one's will over to the care of God means very simply accepting the unique set of skills, talents and circumstances God has given you and applying them to His mission for you and the world.

That means accepting and believing that, whether God actually arranges the world (it IS a mystery) or intentioanlly created free will in order to force us to CHOOSE Him, we only control our actions, NOT the outcomes.

Outcomes belong to God. Whatever they are, if our actions are Holy the outcomes are Holy.

GWB has accepted his current circumstances as a gift from God and, knowing his actions to be founded on prayer and meditation, believes the outcomes will be Holy, whatever they are.

[Iwo Jima]

I've been trying to think of someone -- anyone -- whom I would prefer to have as president in these critical times, and I cannot think of anyone whom I would prefer over President Bush. I am very impressed with Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, and others are doing admirable jobs, but no one has the grit, steely determination, indefatigueability [sp?], and patient memory that Bush has.

I think that I would even trust him over Ronald Reagan in his prime. Reagan's sunny optimism allowed him to be duped by his close "friends" a few too many times. Bush is more hard-headed and distrustful. He never forgets, and he believes in payback.

As long as he agrees with my concept of what justice requires and who and what deserve to be punished, I like that quality in my president.

[sibb1213]

I have never doubted for a second that God chose him for this job. I have said many times that God's hand was all over the election of George W. Bush. What a wonderful thing He did for us.

[Penny1]

You can see that humility of his every time he speaks....his slight embarrassment over the applause he gets when he walks up to the podium, the way that he speaks of his own pride in leading such a great nation and how he chokes up over that, you can tell he has that "I am not worthy" attitude. I wonder if that's why the media has such a field day picking away at him...

I think his personal humility is one of the character traits that impresses me the most...

-penny

[Penny1]

ITA, I don't think there's any president I would trust more in our current crisis, certainly no president from my lifetime. He has both a determination and the straightforwardness that almost automatically inspires trust.

-penny

[Penny1]

Isn't it amazing, especially looking back right now, to see God's hand in all of that? It's as if He wants us all to know without a doubt that He has been in charge of this entire thing--from putting it on GWB's heart to run for the Presidency, to the election nightmare, to our situation now of having a real Leader when we so desperately need one. It gives me a great deal of hope for the future to know that.

-penny

[RnMomof7]

Really? Do you remember exactly where that comes from? Do you remember the verses before it, or the ones after it? Who said it? What He was talking about?
I always find such considerations important before I apply something to someone else -- or to myself, for that matter.
I'll be interested to hear your response.

pick pick pick...*big grin*

[ClancyJ]

Your dripping sanctimony doesn't change the fact that gay activists target children

There are heterosexual men that target children also - therefore, all heterosexual men target children.

If all are targeting children - what is your point?

[ClancyJ]

Of course there were problems with his drinking he apparently is an alcoholic or he would not feel the need to totally abstain from alcohol. In Midland, Bob Evans invited him to a prayer meeting and they formed a strong friendship. Evans also is an reformed alcoholic. How we handle a problem is the determining factor - not what the problem was.

[ClancyJ]

As long as President Bush continues to bend his knee, and as long as WE continue to uphold him in prayer, the demonrats WILL NOT prevail!

So very true - please keep on reminding us as we travel through these days. Thanks for the comment.

[floriduh voter]

I've never seen any leader with his combination of personality traits before before but it's like the Bible verse "In quietness and confidence shall be your strength." I bet he knows that one. Remember when he visited the firemen at ground zero. He got up on the disgusting, reeking sp?, rubble pile and patted them on the back and hugged them. Just one of the guys.

[Penny1]

How we handle a problem is the determining factor - not what the problem was.

I totally agree with this, and I have no problem with whether or not GWB was or was not a heavy drinker years ago.

However, all I have heard supposedly "proving" GWB was a heavy drinker is circumstantial. Let me give you an example from my own life....my brother and his wife used to drink fairly regularly, but didn't abuse alcohol. They did this for years, and then at a certain point in their lives they decided to stop drinking altogether. They are not alcoholics at all, but they decided their health and their lives would be better without it and so decided to stop drinking. Using the fact that GWB quit drinking altogether is nowhere near enough to prove the case being made here.

My concern is that people know the truth, particularly when it comes to talking about other people. The issue of alcoholism or drinking in and of itself is not an issue for me. ;) But the question of the truth of a story being circulated about someone is very important. I have seen so many hatchet jobs done on people by the media that I am automatically skeptical when stories are circulated like this that have not come from the person themselves and has sketchy or in some cases completely false "evidence."

With that, I think I'll let the matter rest, because I feel uncomfortable talking about the President this way in the first place. I do appreciate your comments, particularly with your comment about the importance of how one handles a problem like this, but I'm still not convinced that the "heavy drinking" story is true... ;)

-penny

[floriduh voter]

Exactly. When people wonder what the meaning of life is, it is not that simple. We are individuals and our purpose and the meaning of our lives can be completely different. God bestows different gifts and purposes on us.

I feel that my purpose is to help my mother. It doesn't sound like much, but to me it is as important as Dubya leading our country because it is "my" purpose at this moment in time.

I have no idea what I wrote at this time because I posted earlier this morning, but it sounds like you were adding to my sentiments. The bottom line is that you gotta believe and have faith, no matter what happens here on earth.

[Penny1]

Oh, that's a great verse to bring to mind, and I can definitely see that in the way he is handling this crisis. The thing that I keep hearing people say within the media and elsewhere is that they were all so impressed with his calmness in response to the attacks. That was so important I think, to settle people down, and the combination of that calmness with that inner steel-like strength was so perfect for us. It was exactly what we needed, and it is clear, to me at least, that that calm strength is coming from the Lord. The beauty of that is how God is glorified.

Soli Deo Gloria!

-penny

[floriduh voter]

Yes, it's great to have a leader we can look up to as a role model. And, God Bless America!

[ClancyJ]

I agree and appreciate your efforts for the truth. One other thing I remember - one of the reasons he is so gung-ho about faith-based ministries is because he has faced problems and he knows that the faith-based assistance is the most effective from his personal experience. There should be plenty of information around about exactly what the truth was. There are books in the library on his life written by him. It might be revealed there.

I love this president more all the time and feel God really did put him in place at this time. Maybe the trials in his life have brought him to the place that the Lord thought he could handle the job.

[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

It's absolutely uncanny how the United States attracts British saprophytes like Sullivan to our shores-- projecting their frustrated desire for their lost Empire onto our domestic political and cultural battles--battles about which Sullivan knows little and cares less--sanitizing them for the benefit of the folks back home (back home in ENGLAND, of course.)

Sullivan, the latest in a long line of Limey "Athenians" who view the United States as their useful little Roman--hearty, rich (far too rich -- must skim off some of that fat--for our own good, of course), naive, childish, easily flattered and even more easily led--nothing but a Roman fist that will deliver the superior British/Athenian sensibility to the solar plexus of the whole, wide world. A little flattery is a small price to pay to get someone else to rule the world for you.

Is it just my imagination or do these British boosters love the American politicians best who most eagerly ditch The Old Republic on the mission du jourto make the world safe for---safe for all the things British parasites like.

Don't you love the facile caricature of aspects of American "conservatism" which Sullivan neither understands nor approves?

Don't you love the way he "loves' George Bush? For his "simplicity", his lack of unsettling depth, his laser-like focus? (no nasty complexity to muddy the mission)

He's not like all those disturbing Americans who are so distastefully American. George Bush is a man the British can work with. He's a man on a mission. The right kind of mission.

Does anybody else wonder why Andrew finds Shoeless George's ecumenical embrace of Peaceful Islam so admirable, but deems his ecumenical embrace of Bob Jones University a "campaign disaster"?

Because Sullivan was trying so hard to mold Bush into someone of whom he could approve, he inadvertantly made Bush seem even more superficial and silly than his enemies try to portray him..

[BibChr]

Hasn't answered me yet, either, has he? May be looking for his concordance. Yes, that could be it.

I sincerely hope it isn't because he's attended the "Bunny Slippers" School of Inconvenient Fact Avoidance.

Dan

[WomanofStandard]

T D Jakes and Billy Graham, both at the top of my list. Just discovered Jakes. I was with the author but the former drunk reference at the end was a little unkind but I guess he was trying to make a point.

To be honest I know nothing of this author and therefore cannot comment on him, though I see some here say he is usually questionable at best. But, for most of what he is reporting on GWB and his faith he is on target because I am up to speed on that. I also am familiar with the ministrial reputations of TD Jakes and James Robinson, which are both very good. So, basically I am speaking of the content of the article, and was responding to the previous post, not commenting on Andrew Sullivan.