So says the outgoing Commander in Chief.
Watching tonight, I realize how much I will miss this man. The 2000 election was the first time I remember being truly interested and engaged in politics, and I was greatly inspired by George W. Bush, despite the cloud of criticism and inauthenticity liberals in the media projected onto those first months of 2001.
I remember 9/11 vividly and with great sadness. Then I remember seeing President Bush climb to the top of that rubble where the towers stood in Manhattan, grab the bullhorn, and speak those words that, for a moment, made us realize that this would be a moment Americans would overcome. I was so young, and perhaps that’s why I was so impressionable, but my it had a very deep impact on me and, I imagine, a great deal of Americans. It’s hard to discern what you remember from the moment when you see the video so frequently after the fact, but I remember how I felt when I saw it. I remember what it meant to me, as an American. I remember looking to the president not as a patrician to take care of us and to make us feel better, but to lead us in our quest as Americans, the standard bearers of freedom and tolerance and liberty in the world.
Perhaps these days I should have a sense of irony about the Bush presidency. To someone surveying the situation today, it would seem Bush failed. I don’t think even the most die-hard Bush supporters have some sort of major policy disagreement with the man. I know mine begin with immigration and federal spending. But, hearing this address tonight, I am reminded that while President Bush may have been wrong on any number of issues, his convictions are solid and his love for his country is unwavering. I believe it’s this love of country from where he derives his beliefs. That’s admirable.
In the end, the government under George W. Bush succeeded in its most important role: since 2001, we have been kept safe at home, able to go about our lives. We go to school or to work, we spend time with our families and friends, we worship in peace; we go to sports games, see movies, volunteer for others, pursue our own understanding of happiness. We are the luckiest people in the world, and other people hate us for it. They are willing to kill us over it. After 9/11, George W. Bush refused to allow that to happen on our soil again. We owe so much, and I am ever grateful.
Thank you, Mr. President.
UPDATE: From Ace, this is great too.
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Thank You so much for this post. I too remember 9/11 vividly. I too ,after hearing President Bush address the Nation for the last time, felt admiration and gratitude. I too am so thankful that he succeeded in keeping our nation safe from all that seek to kill and harm us.