I just love pixes of the President fishing (and bonding, and relaxing) with his dad!
I read a GREAT book this weekend: "A Heart, a Cross and a Flag" by Peggy Noonan. The book features a comprehensive (and unedited) collection of her "WallStreet Journal" commentaries from September 11, 2001 to September 11, 2002!
Given recent events and discussions on this thread, I thought I'd share with you a particularly poignant, prescient passage from her November 9, 2001 commentary:
"Let me tell you why I have a hunch that Mr. Bush sees it all, in his head, as ultimately a matter of timing and not mere targets [Editor's Note: She is referring to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Islamic fascists.]
On the morning of 9/11, when he was in Florida with his top staff unveiling an education initiative at a local public school, the second World Trade Center tower was hit. This was exactly the moment at thich all the most sophisticated people understood, and said, "This is terrorism. This is no accident. This is a terrorist incident. It's Arab terrorists."
That was the smart and obvious think to think.
But at the point where most sophisticated people were saying, "This is terrorism," he said. "We are at war."
He jumped ahead of the obvious and went straight to the not-so-obvious. I found it interisting that his heart-head-and-spirit apprehended immediately the fix we were in. (And let me tell you, presidents are not quick to say sentences like "We are at war.") . . .
Everything I hear about him and of him, everything he says that I watch or read, tells me he is ahead of the curve in his thinking on what we are in [Editor's Note: Think Middle East!] . . .
I'll tell you something else I keep thinking about him. It is the thing he did, or that happened to him, that no modern president has ever done, that no past president is reported to have done. As George W. Bush took the oath of office on the steps of the Capitol last January, his eyes filled with tears. You could see them on TV, and the people around him saw them up close.
And I remember thinking: Those tears have meaning, those tears are about something, and I wonder if he knows exactly what. Because sometimes people have presentiments they don't even understand until later." WOW!!!!
You can purchase this book at the opinionjournal.com website and receive a 20% discount plus free shipping!!
http://www.opinionjournalbookstore.com/index.htmAnd I remember thinking: Those tears have meaning, those tears are about something, and I wonder if he knows exactly what. Because sometimes people have presentiments they don't even understand until later." WOW!!!! I don't know if he knows exactly what .. but Peggy is right .. those tears did have meaning
The big different between Clinton and Bush I notice back then
Clinton always tried TO cry .. where as Bush always try not to .. That spoke volumes to me
Thanks for the review Deb, sounds like another good book by Peggy