"is because George W. Bush is listening to that still, small voice, and not to the storm from the left or the right."
Yes, indeed. I have no doubt that every challenge has been handled with prayer. Also, I believe the President's secret weapons are the people around him who are genuinely committed to earnest prayer for him. Franklin Graham - and what is that other gentleman's name? - come to mind. Prayer works. God is at work. And these speeches have been nothing less than inspired.
When I heard the ME Speech - and I tried to articulate this then but didn't do very well - it was truly as if the calm in the eye of the storm just broke through. It was as if all of a sudden the dark clouds of war broke apart and the clear sunlight of NEW ideas, ideas so radical as to be breathtaking, were stated. Get rid of the terrorists and the terror tactics, and there is hope for Israel and the Palestinian people. Don't, and the miseries will only get worse - not just for Israel - but for the Palestinian people about whom these "leaders" are supposed to care!
In other words, the President expects other leaders to ACT LIKE LEADERS who have the best interests of their citizens at heart. Same with America's leaders. Same with his own cabinet and staff.
It is a new standard in the world. Truly.
Clinton never expected that of leaders. And, of course, certainly not of himself. All Clinton wanted, all the Dems want, are people in whatever position they are in - to DO THE CLINTONS' BIDDING - AND TO BE REWARDED BY THE CLINTONS FOR DOING SO or to be DESTROYED if they DON't DO SO.
It is the difference between night and day, between a real leader and a selfish powermad oaf, between a true American and a Communist holding an American position of power.
As the Israeli commentator said - "Finally, there is a Statesman as President of the United States!"
Now - Mr. President - please turn your focus and your team's eyes to our economy. We need a summit, we need some drastic measures, we need to hold the Rats feet to the fire, and we need MORE TAX AND REGULATOR RELEIF, SIR! TO JUMPSTART THIS ECONOMY! (Yes, we need ethics in business -but we also need Government to get out of the way and to take off the shackles from small businesspeople - and regular wage earners!) I know he knows this but the economy will be the issue this fall - and we must see this great statesman of a President getting a team of experts working on the economy - soon!
Amen!
If I have learned anything in the past year and a half, it is to be patient and watch the Bush plans unfold. IMO, this will happen with the economy as well.
I couldn't help but notice as I listened to Rod Paige today talking about the victory for, and the importance of vouchers (way to go, Ohio!) in the Supreme Court, and all the talk that this was a big victory for Bush, that, in spite of all the talk that he had 'sold out' on vouchers, he had obviously not given up on them.
I believe that the end result of his 8 year administration will be progress toward Conservative goals that we have never seen in any previous administration.