Graduate Student's Top Ten Bush Moments

It is not every day that the President of the United States is confronted with a series of historic events which will define his presidency. Of the 43 presidents our great nation has had, only a few are remembered for great accomplishments or the way they handled extremely difficult situations.

President Washington is remembered for his leadership while establishing a brand new government. Jefferson is remembered for his writings. President Lincoln is remembered for keeping this great country together when certain individuals and states decided they should have the right to continue slavery and attack the Union. President Franklin Roosevelt is remembered for his attempts to slow down the depression and for his attempts to lead America through the 2nd World War. President Truman is remembered for dropping the bomb to end the war. President Reagan is remembered for ending communism, and President George H.W. Bush is remembered for liberating Kuwait.

That leaves us with President George W. Bush. He had only been in office 3 years, yet just 8 1/2 months into his first year in office he was faced with the worst attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. Already having to deal with the Clinton recession, he had to respond to evil, yellow terrorists who would like to see nothing more than the downfall of America and the decapitation of its government.

Since September 11, 2001, political analysts, pundits, historians, and scholars have all held the view that his presidency would be defined starting that day. I agree. President Bush was forced to calm a shocked nation, reassure them that measures would be taken to protect them, and that the Union was strong. Therefore, I have made a list of the top ten moments of the Bush presidency that I feel people will remember when they go to the polls a year from now when they decide on re-electing him to office.

I hope I never face another day like this as long as I live. I will never forget watching the WTC falling, the Pentagon burning, and the smoke rising from the field in Pennsylvania. I, along with probably every American, was scared and confused and was not sure what was in store next. By the time the evening rolled around we all were able to reflect on what had just happened. President Bush took the time to speak to the people that night. Looking very tired from a long day, he reassured us that we will not back down. He also pointed out the heroic efforts by the rescue workers in their fatal attempts to rescue thousands of human beings. He stated, "None of us will ever forget this day. Yet, we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world." After a terrible day full of death the people needed to hear from their leader. President Bush filled the role.

This, I believe, is the most important speech that President Bush has made. The shock of 9-11 had begun to sink in, and it was a time to mourn. It was such a sad day, and I have no clue how President Bush kept his composure and did not break down crying. I was in tears that morning. He stated, "As we have been assured, neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, can separate us from God's love. May He bless the souls of the departed. May He comfort our own. And may He always guide our country." He comforted America, and when it was all over, the photograph above was taken. This photograph shows President George H.W. Bush reaching over to grasp his son's hand in approval for showing great leadership when it was very much needed.

When President Bush is away from TelePrompTers and planned speeches, he is at his best. After making his Washington National Cathedral speech, he flew to NYC to pay a visit to the rescue workers looking for survivors. While down at ground zero, he stood upon a heap of metal, wrapped his arm around a fellow fireman, and began to speak to the workers through a megaphone. When somebody yelled out, "We can't hear you!", the president responded with the famous words, "I can hear you! The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!" This, I believe, established President Bush as a solid leader. This also will be one of those historic sound-bytes that will be shown years from now. This moment made me extremely proud to be an American and of him.

Although I did not get to see this live, it was soon shown on Fox News Channel that morning. I don't think anybody can forget the look on the president's face when he was told a second plane had struck the WTC. You can tell a lot about a person from the little things they do. One such instance that will always stand out in my mind is when the press started to ask President Bush questions regarding the terrorist attacks. Realizing that small children were in front of him, he instructed the press to hold off on questions. This picture showed the exact moment when everything changed for President Bush, and the purpose of his presidency would be defined.

This night I was at a local restaurant/bar for karaoke night. At this point I needed to get out of the house. The televisions were on with a hockey game while the KJ started the music. Soon after President Bush gave his address to the Congress and to the nation. When he spoke, all the music stopped. Everybody in that bar watched the President of the United States address the nation. At the hockey game, the game was paused while President Bush was shown on the big tele-tron. While officially confirming that AQ was responsible for these attacks, he named the Taliban as the official sponsor of Osama Bin Laden. He demanded, "These demands are not open to negotiation or discussion. The Taliban must act, and act immediately. They will hand over the terrorists, or they will share in their fate." He closed the speech by saying, "Fellow citizens, we'll meet violence with patient justice -- assured of the rightness of our cause, and confident of the victories to come. In all that lies before us, may God grant us wisdom, and may He watch over the United States of America."

After months of negative press only reporting the negative in Baghdad, President Bush pulled one over on the press by sneaking out of Crawford and flying to Baghdad to spend Thanksgiving with our troops. When President Bush was announced, the troops immediately jumped to their feet and started cheering for their leader. This was a much needed morale boost to our troops, and what better than from a commander in chief they respect. This would be one of two back to back instances that would help boost the morale of the troops, and American support for the mission.

This was yet another awesome photo-op for President Bush. After almost a year at sea, the crew of the USS Lincoln were just a day out from docking in San Diego, then on to her home-port. Announcing an end to major military hostilities, President Bush flew out to the Lincoln to congratulate the crew on a mission accomplished. Once again, the world got to see how well respected President Bush is among our military.

This speech was the final major justification for the liberation of Iraq. During the speech while discussing chemical weapons, one could hear a pin-drop in the chamber. He spoke to the Iraqi people in saying, "And tonight I have a message for the brave and oppressed people of Iraq: Your enemy is not surrounding your country -- your enemy is ruling your country. And the day he and his regime are removed from power will be the day of your liberation...But let there be no misunderstanding: If Saddam Hussein does not fully disarm, for the safety of our people and for the peace of the world, we will lead a coalition to disarm him."

After making a phone-call to Mayor Guiliani and Gov. Pataki, President Bush took a few questions from the press. When asked about his prayers, President Bush's eyes filled with tears as he stated, "Well, I don't think about myself right now. I think about the families, the children. I am a loving guy, and I am also someone, however, who has got a job to do -- and I intend to do it. And this is a terrible moment. But this country will not relent until we have saved ourselves and others from the terrible tragedy that came upon America." It's moments like these that I really am proud of this man.

One of the best pieces of news of the war since the fall of Baghdad came on December 14, 2003. After hiding in a hole like a rat, our troops captured the tyrant of Iraq. President Bush let Gen. Sanchez and Paul Bremmer make the announcement in Baghdad along with members of the governing council. Later that afternoon President Bush addressed the nation and stated, "And this afternoon, I have a message for the Iraqi people: You will not have to fear the rule of Saddam Hussein ever again. All Iraqis who take the side of freedom have taken the winning side. The goals of our coalition are the same as your goals -- sovereignty for your country, dignity for your great culture, and for every Iraqi citizen, the opportunity for a better life." This was a very nice Christmas present for the troops and a boost to their morale. This also provided a huge bump in the polls for President Bush. This was also another accomplishment by President Bush to make the world and our country safer.

You'd think after going over this piece several times trying to find mistakes, I'd catch the one that as in bold. lol. I hope people will realize that it's supposed to be 2001. :) I'm off to meet some friends. I'll check back later tonight on the comments. I hope everybody has a good night.

I wanted to put his inauguration speech in this, but I couldn't make it top the crisis momements that I listed. I think the speech kept creeping up on the list b/c I got to go up to DC for the inauguration. Great as the speech was, I don't think anybody will remember it after 9-11.

There were a couple other moments that I wanted in there. The State of the Union speech in 2002 was one of them. That was highlighted by him holding up the fireman badge and saying "let's roll." One the biggest stories of his presidency was the Hussein capture, but he stepped aside and let the folks in Iraq announce it. That kept it so low on my list. Also was the day Baghdad fell and the soldier put the flag over Hussein's statue head. Of course Bush didn't do this, but it was because of him that this historic event was allowed to take place.

The speech on the Columbia disaster was on my short list as well...That and the speech he made down at Johnson Space Center at the memorial.

Carl Rove will have a treasure chest of images to use during this campaign. I can't wait.

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