Posted on 06/21/2007 6:45:17 PM PDT by SJackson
IN THE CURRENT by GOLDA SHIRA By . (06/15/2007) President George Bush is my hero. No, this is not another Bush joke. The truth is that I have come to see him as a man of rare integrity. What a guy!
No, I wouldn't have said those things seven years ago. I certainly wasn't keen on the mechanics of his election. And I wasn't voting for a guy who started out not too interested in international involvements, certainly not in the Middle East.
Yet he has risen to the challenges presented during his presidency with courage and enormous self-sacrifice.
So you think he's doing this for daddy? You think he's doing this for a legacy?
How could that be? Look what he is enduring-not only constantly being the butt of jokes and (friends of) Pelosi's spitting through her teeth seething contempt, but also facing a 66% disapproval rating.
Doesn't seem to me that that's trying to win a popularity contest.
Except maybe Upstairs. Where it really counts. I think the man is really trying to do the right thing. No, it's not easy for me to say. Yes, I have very dear friends who have served and are about to go back to Iraq. My heart is in my mouth not only for them and their families but also for my very own sleepless nights and the anguish I endure every day they are away.
But that is the greatness of what America is and hopefully always will be: a nation willing to make wrenching sacrifices in the name of freedom and democracy.
It isn't easy. And we like easy. While we sit in our leather easy chairs and watch the biggest and newest HD flat screen TV and relieve our boredom with the latest flavor of chips (Tuscany parmesan sea salt guacamole salsa baked) and get really irate about the ending of "The Sopranos," or really annoyed that we can't see how much blood got spilled when someone got whacked on our favorite permutation of "CSI" because some special was on. While our domestic crime statistics rise and we blithely go about our business unwilling to do much to stop that senseless bloodshed, we are nonetheless enraged that our country has the nobility to stand up for the very values upon which this country was founded.
We can pretend otherwise but we pretend at our peril.
We love our violence but we love it only if it's wrapped up in 60 minutes. We choose instead the myopic focus on Paris Hilton and Jennifer Aniston's new boyfriend.
"Don't bring me down with this war stuff, man. War is not peace, man." And it sure as heck ain't easy.
Okay, so did we go into Iraq the right way? No. Did we make grave errors in how this war has been fought? Absolutely.
But there, too, the President again is humble enough to admit that. And to change course and put in men like General David Petraeus so we will correct course and do better. And we are.
Listen to our amazingly brave soldiers who almost unanimously say they want to stay and get the job done. They know it won't be fast and they know it won't be easy. They and the President know that to leave now is inviting greater tragedy the likes of which most Americans cannot conceive.
We elect leaders to lead and Mr. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have embodied the statesmanship to be true leaders in the face of unrelenting scathing attacks. And because Mr. Blair knew he was right, he willingly sacrificed his position as prime minister rather than back down.
Hello? Is anyone awake out there? Politicians don't do that. Leaders of true stature do. Risk themselves and their reputations and their good name for all time to come in the name of what is for the greater good.
They know the real and present danger global terrorism is, and not just because they're privy to intelligence we're not. They, and any of us who have lived or spent ample time in the region, know we're dealing with a mentality and an insidious and pervasive many-headed hydra that obviously most Americans can't and don't want to understand.
Until the next 9/11 or worse, G-d forbid. (Until then, we're back to our cushy routines. And they are cushy compared to the standard of living of the average Iraqi. Or the average Israeli.)
I think it presumptuous, ignorant and arrogant of us to think otherwise. I could be wrong. No one wants another Vietnam. We Americans are a good-hearted, heroic nation.
For posterity, what will matter in the end is not how "The Sopranos" end, but how this war will end. How we, the mostly highly-educated boomers who live in the legacy of Woodstock, grow up and confront the reality for which previous generations were willing to fight. To fight for what's right, do what needs to be done, even if it's hard, especially if it's hard, in order to create peace not just in one country, one region but also to help bring it to the world.
Golda Shira is a multi award winning journalist (Columbia University Press Association, numerous Rockower awards) who has been part of the White House Press Corps for the past ten years and has covered the Middle East for the last three decades.
That is true, he did us the word negotiate, when all I have seem is cramming. And one lying promise after another. Same old kick the football Charlie Brown. Sure I believe them!
I am, my wife's a Puerto Rican. It's almost impossible to get her a green card.
George Bush is a great leader—he’ll get the Iraq thing solved eventually. Leave Immigration for another separate post
Well first of all He is decidedly NOT a great leader.Secondly I’m willing to put money down that GW DOESN’T get Iraq solved before he waves bye,bye and rides off to Crawford !!!
New “Security & Prosperity Partnership” Records Reveal Proposal for U.S.-Canadian Funded Grants for Mexico
This may give us more information on why Bush is pushing this immigration.
http://www.judicialwatch.org/6315.shtml
He needn't worry. He's in no danger of it.
In fact, he's down there with Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Warren Harding right now.
So far--Jimmy Carter's still the worst President in U.S. history, even beating out Clinton and Harding, which is saying a lot!--but if Bush's refusal to enforce U.S. immigration law should result in a national catastrophe--e.g. a terrorist attack or the permanent empowerment of the decadent, corrupt, anti-American Democrat Party--Bush just could replace Carter.
I grew up dirt poor and was the ONLY white teenager willing to work in the fields alongside the Mexican migrant workers . . . On the up side, the back-breaking work helped me get into such great shape that I was able to leave the fields for the ‘run way’ (modeling) during the remainder of my high school and college years . . . Bottomline: I know a lot about migrant workers/the migrant industry. I also know that rational people of character and goodwill can disagree without becoming (hatefully) disagreeable!
Oh jeez, someone get the hook and pull her off stage. She sounds so infantile.
Yep, when it comes to immigration, President Reagan was not perfect and President Bush is less than perfect.
You along with many of us will down the road be resspectful of Bush because when pitted against other Presidents in historical context, he’s done a good job, plus dealt with 9-11 and much more.
My major complaint is that they wasted full control of the legislature and could have done a lot of good things. I’m more angry about that than this immigration bill because I don’t think this bill will ever come to fruition. But that’s a hope.
Debate is good. Presidents aren’t always right and neither are you and I, but our form of government is the best invented to date, so we just have to use the tools available to us to get our voices heard. And I think ranting on this site is one vehicle for being heard.
Huh?
That worries me.
Bush long ago indicated his belief that the only real cure for immigration is to equalize the economies (meaning take away the reason for the crossover by improving the liveability at home.)
And there were indications that he felt a bond with Mexico and Canada could help with defense and dealing with the EU (not sure he said this or I learned of it in other posts).
Now, thinking as a great leader able to deal in the big pictures, this could possibly work if handled correctly and if we could ever trust that this was not a NWO agenda item.
Bush is a great leader, deals in the big pictures and has the guts to go after solutions. So, knowing the man he is, there is a possibility this could be wonderful for America and really solve immigration.
But, we have the congress and the democrats and the media. And our trust of Bush is at a low and he will be gone before this could ever work.
Great post! I disagree with this bill and have been caught up a little in the wildfire, but that was a great reminder.
“He WAS my hero.”
Same here - he “was” my hero. Not only is he out of sync with me concerning the immigration bill and amnesty, his fiscal policy (aka spending policy) has been much to liberal to suit me. As far as his war on terror goes, he should have done a better job of candidly informing the American people that we are in it for the long haul and probably for more than one generation - he should have hammered this into American skulls for sure.
And we are finally settling down to rational discussion instead of spewing hate (although there was good reason).
Most of the rational thinkers at FR have either been bullied into silence or left for more hospitable climes.
As I indicated in a previous post, rational people of character and goodwill should be able to disagree without becoming (hatefully) disagreeable!” President Bush understands this; many at FR do not!
Well said!
I agree with you 100%
Well, I remember every speech saying this is a long battle. The American people need to grow up and little and give up having to be spoon fed by a babysitter. The man had to run the nation, underlings could have done the spoon feeding - buuuuuttt........we have the MEDIA.....
I don’t trust him at all anymore. He’s a CINO.
What bothers me most are the sheep who’ll defend him (themselves) to the end.
Can’t drum up much sympathy for your “hurt” feelings.
To fall for this old garbage and peddle it like some newfound toy to further trash this President is not worthy of any sympathy in my book. This is Rosie O’Donnell type stuff. The fact that Judicial Watch is peddling it means nothing...unless it would be to further discredit the insinuations.
Four words of advice, though I doubt you’ll take them.
Grow up.
Inform yourself.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.