Posted on 06/10/2010 6:52:20 AM PDT by Brittany Pounders
I was startled to see President Bush in the news this week. He has done what most presidents in the past should have done and he has done it with class. He has stayed silent. He’s continued to offer himself as the punching bag of this current administration and he’s been pummeled continually without saying a word toward his own defense. He has been blamed for everything from Obama’s unruly hangnails and bad breath to most recently, Al and Tipper Gore’s marital problems. Think I’m exaggerating? See here.
I know without a doubt that it must take enormous personal discipline to sit back, listen to the constant accusations, and not eventually rise up with righteous indignation in defense of yourself. His family must be applauded as well. I know it can’t be easy to listen to the abuse of your husband and father and let it roll off your back. When they left the White House, they chose to take the high road, living quietly and with dignity.
Drawing a comparison to Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter who have been obnoxious and classless thorns in the side of proceeding presidents, Bush has come across as gracious and sophisticated. Clinton can’t live a happy life without the spotlight and, unlike presidents of the past, he constantly interjected himself through every opportunity of the eight year Bush administration, despite the fact that the former Bush allowed Clinton the courtesy of silence. Jimmy Carter continues to be the jackass of all presidents, braying loudly and inappropriately all over the world about the United States and President Bush during the “W” years.
It’s no secret that Carter made President Bush’s life miserable. In fact, in regards to the constant unsolicited advice from one of the worst Presidents in America’s history, Jimmy Carter, and his own future plans upon leaving the White House, President Bush said, “I have no desire to see myself on television. I don’t want to be a panel of “formers” instructing the “currents” on what to do… I’m trying to regain a sense of anonymity. I didn’t like it when a certain former president — and it wasn’t 41 or 42 — made my life miserable.”
Bill Clinton made the United States the joke of the world during his administration. He was a humiliation to this country. Jimmy Carter, on the other hand, is a pimple on the presidential map and was a complete failure in every way as a United States President. As the American Thinker put it, “Jimmy Carter will live in infamy as detrimental to freedom, democracy and the American ideal during his catastrophic tenure as President.” That didn’t stop either from their constant meddling. And now, even with a new president who richly deserves criticism, Bush has chosen to remain quiet.
I’ve not been a huge Bush fan, mostly for the horrific fiscal policies he embraced toward the last half of his administration. I’ve been a huge critic of the bailouts and stimulus and his effort to “abandon free market principles to save the free market system.” I believe that those decisions started us down a dangerously, irresponsible fiscal road that we will suffer from for a long time. It paved the way beautifully for a radical President to pass his own extreme agenda of re-distributing the wealth and nationalizing different industries, taking us from a capitalistic, free market nation and putting us on a highway to a government dependent and a broken country.
However, despite the points that I strongly disagreed with and still do, there are many for which I am thankful for. During grievous attack on our own soil, which ushered us into a time of national defense and security unlike most of us have ever experienced in our lifetimes, he showed true leadership and strength of spirit that led this country through some of the most dangerous and darkest times since its inception.
It’s this topic that put President Bush back in the news this week. Sitting before The Economic Club of Grand Rapids, President Bush began to answer some questions.
”Yeah, we water-boarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed,” Bush said of the terrorist who master-minded the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. He said that event shaped his presidency and convinced him the nation was in a war against terror.
“I’d do it again to save lives.”
What a stark difference between the previous tough and protective leadership approach and this new wimpy administrative approach to terrorism that we are now experiencing. The world, those good and evil, both knew that the United States were fully committed to protecting the safety of its citizens. When it came to terrorism, we wouldn’t play nice. We would come after you, your friends and anyone who harbored you. If we caught you, we would do what was necessary to get whatever information we needed and knew you had and as a result we lived without further incident during the Bush years. They intercepted attacks and protected us in ways that we took for granted until the Obama years.
Bush had plenty of opportunity to blame others, specifically Clinton, as history has shown quite clearly that if Clinton hadn’t been “preoccupied” with blue dresses and cigars we could have gotten Osama Bin Laden long before he had the chance to destroy thousands of American lives on American soil.
But Bush didn’t point fingers. He staked his flag in US soil and took responsibility for the lives and country that he swore an oath to protect. He stood with firm resolve when it was popular and the entire country vowed to stand with him. He continued to do so even when Democrats saw political opportunity to score points and deviously began to divide the country.
True leadership doesn’t look for others to blame in every negative situation. He asked for this responsibility, the good and the bad, and as such he was willing to carry it to the finish line. He didn’t make decisions based on the polls or for personal political expediency. He was willing to stand up and take the hits for what he believed was right for the good of the country.
Now, we have a new administration with a different philosophy. It’s one that believes we can all be friends, that we should fall and bow before dictators, and go on world-apology tours. It’s a new “blame others” mentality that refuses to accept any responsibility. Obama has been in office about 500 days and we’ve already had four large terrorist hits, one that resulted in fourteen more American deaths. The others had potential to kill hundreds with the Christmas bomber and thousands with the New York Times Square bomb. This one wasn’t even foiled by the federal government or Homeland Security; it was stopped by average citizens.
Susan Ann Hiller wrote a great piece and said:
“Those decisive decisions from Bush kept America safe for seven years. Now we have Obama, the apologist and panderer, and we’ve had four Jihad attacks on American soil in less than 17 months–June 1, 2009 army recruiting base murder, 2009 Christmas Day undie bomber, November 13, 2009 Ft. Hood massacre, and the May 1, 2010 Times Square bomber.
Whose strategy do you think was most effective and has America’s best interests at heart?”
That’s a legitimate question and one that deserves an answer. I prefer decisive leadership over “Hope” any day.
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Great article.
It’s a shame that so many won’t see it. Dinosaur media needs to be hastened into extinction. Unless, of course, the article would magically appear in the National Enquirer, then maybe a % of the dumbed down public at large would have a chance of comprehending it. If it had cartoons.
A very well-written piece, apologies for the minor rant...
Excellent.
Affirmative action only gets you so far in the real world.
Bookmark and Ping!
Since Bush has left office, I’ve grown to respect him even more. And sadly, I’ve come to respect Laura just a bit less. I wish she’d remain as silent as he.
Oops, forgot the ping.
Indeed!
Great article.
Bush will be vindicated.
The article is wrong on one point. Obama does not want to be friends with all (Israel, England.Poland), for them he shows nothing but racist contempt!!
I have always just loved him, even when he did things I didn’t like. He good ness was so obvious, it shone through.
Laura seems as if she’s not that bright.
I agree-nicely done!
Excellent article! Thanks for writing it - and posting it. I’ve already made a copy for a co-worker who asked for it.
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