Well, our guy lost. That's the way it goes. Now it's the Dem's turn to show us how it's done. I wish them all the luck in the world. In fact, I hope they succeed. But I know one thing, we Conservatives WILL hold them accountable. One thing I hope we conservatives do is show respect for the office of the President of the United States. The treatment President Bush received from the left was nothing short of disgraceful. No President in our history has been subjected to such vitriol. George Bush is and has been a decent man doing the best he can during one of the worst periods in our history. I do sincerely believe he will looked upon someday as one of the greatest Presidents in our history. Reference the following article:By JEFFREY SCOTT SHAPIRO (Mr. Shapiro is an investigative reporter and lawyer who previously interned with John F. Kerry's legal team during the presidential election in 2004.)
Earlier this year, 12,000 people in San Francisco signed a petition in support of a proposition on a local ballot to rename an Oceanside sewage plant after George W. Bush. The proposition is only one example of the classless disrespect many Americans have shown the president.
According to recent Gallup polls, the president's average approval rating is below 30% -- down from his 90% approval in the wake of 9/11. Mr. Bush has endured relentless attacks from the left while facing abandonment from the right.
This is the price Mr. Bush is paying for trying to work with both Democrats and Republicans. During his 2004 victory speech, the president reached out to voters who supported his opponent, John Kerry, and said, "Today, I want to speak to every person who voted for my opponent. To make this nation stronger and better, I will need your support, and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can do to deserve your trust."
Those bipartisan efforts have been met with crushing resistance from both political parties.
The president's original Supreme Court choice of Harriet Miers alarmed Republicans, while his final nomination of Samuel Alito angered Democrats. His solutions to reform the immigration system alienated traditional conservatives, while his refusal to retreat in Iraq has enraged liberals who have unrealistic expectations about the challenges we face there.
It seems that no matter what Mr. Bush does, he is blamed for everything. He remains despised by the left while continuously disappointing the right. Yet it should seem obvious that many of our country's current problems either existed long before Mr. Bush ever came to office, or are beyond his control. Perhaps if Americans stopped being so divisive, and congressional leaders came together to work with the president on some of these problems, he would actually have had a fighting chance of solving them.
Like the president said in his 2004 victory speech, "We have one country, one Constitution and one future that binds us. And when we come together and work together, there is no limit to the greatness of America."
To be sure, Mr. Bush is not completely alone. His low approval ratings put him in the good company of former Democratic President Harry S. Truman, whose own approval rating sank to 22% shortly before he left office. Despite Mr. Truman's low numbers, a 2005 Wall Street Journal poll found that he was ranked the seventh most popular president in history.
Just as Americans have gained perspective on how challenging Truman's presidency was in the wake of World War II, our country will recognize the hardship President Bush faced these past eight years -- and how extraordinary it was that he accomplished what he did in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have. The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time.
Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty -- a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.
7 comments:
All the rules have changed. It's a new world we live in. I'm sitting here watching the ABC evening news slam evangelical Christians. Welcome to the United States of Europe.
It's time Christians become MUCH more active in politics and the issues our country faces.
Couldn't have said it better myself. I really think President Bush is a good decent man, who meant well and did the best he could. He told us on September 11 that it would be a long fight, but we would not waver. We didn't waver under his leadership. I hope that keeps up.
Good article-I agree with most it...instead of trashing the office of the President the Dems should have had the gonads to just filibuster/and or vote against every bill that Bush pushed which they were in disagreement with. They copped out for the last two years. Bush is a decent guy but is operating about three levels above his competence level and let Rove drive the Republican Party into the ditch. Chances of being a great President? About 2%. The Republicans have lost about 80% of the vote under age 30 and that is the future. My kids have a difficult time naming even one classmate/workmate who voted Republican this year(blue state up here of course)- when they vote, this generation doesn't care about race, religious culture war issues(let's let the Middle East have that one), sexual preference, the right to own an AK-47,etc. They do demand intelligence, education, and competence from their leaders. McCain had all three attributes but the young voters did not see that side in their first serious exposure to him-his qualifications were masked by his selection of Palin and the "Rove" style campaign he ran that Rick Davis convinced him was the only way to win. "Fool me once, Fool me twice,..etc.
When I was Jason and Kelsey's age I voted for Jimmy Carter because I was ticked at President Ford for pardoning Nixon. What a mistake that was! This election was a gamble the American electorate took because it has no patience, stick-to-it-ness, a willingness to sacrifice, or a sense of history. It's back to the Carter years for us.
Hey, the Carter years were good years!! I had more hair, I could drink a six pack without geting a hangover, and I could live like a king on $1200/month!!
Nothing like gas lines, 20% interest rates, runaway inflation and huge cutbacks in the military. Also counting the days of the hostage crisis was fun. Carter's greatest accomplishment was building houses for the homeless. And he didn't receive any criticism from former Republican Presidents!
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