Big Dogs Weblog

Tribute To George Bush

by Big Dog on Jan 20, 2009 at 03:05 General

Today at noon George Bush will hand over the reigns of power to his successor. This is a time honored part of American culture that separates us from most of the world. We do not have coups in the US, we have elections and the winner takes control from the current leader despite their differences. It is done with manners and dignity. That is much more than I can say for the way George Bush has been treated these past eight years.

I will miss W. Sure there are things he did that I did not agree with and there are mistakes that he made. No leader has ever been mistake free and no matter what choices the leader of our country takes, about 50% of the population will be pleased and the other 50% not. Even though I did not agree with him all the time there were plenty of things he got right and there are a number of things with which I agree.

He might be unpopular but the things he has done are being justified by his successor. Gitmo will likely not close down any time soon because the new guy is finding it as difficult to find homes for the residents as Bush did. Our troops will remain in Iraq until at least 2012. They won’t be out today or even in 16 months despite what was preached. The wire tapping that was such an issue is being embraced and will likely continue as will many of the terror fighting tools Bush put in place. History is beginning to vindicate him as his successor finds that things look differently from the inside and decisions are made to not quite undo everything we have worked to achieve.

President Bush inherited a recession and he is leaving with one. He warned on at least 17 occasions that Fannie and Freddie were troublesome but his warnings fell on the deaf ears of those consumed with their own greed. He bears some responsibility for what took place but there is enough blame to go around despite what his detractors say.

George Bush failed us when it came to immigration reform. He and John McCain (a Democrat-lite) working with Ted Kennedy tried to force amnesty on this nation. We were expected to accept the people who broke our laws and reward them with citizenship. The public uproar was finally heard and a border wall was promised. We have yet to see the wall but we will get more bills favorable to illegals. Fortunately, Bush will not be involved.

George Bush was also responsible for moving toward the center rather than staying right and exercising strong conservative principles. He spent a lot of money and government grew. He had help from the Republican majority that was willing to go along to get along. People decided if Republicans were going to act like Democrats then they might as well vote for the real ones.

Perhaps though, the thing that stands out the most in this presidency is the tragedy that occurred on 9/11. On that fateful day hijacked airliners were flown into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon. Only the devotion to an idea bigger than self allowed people on Flight 93 to prevent a hit on the Capitol or the White House. I have often stated that Congress would be behaving much differently if that plane had hit the Capitol. It is a weird kind of irony that the people who took the decisions that enraged radicals enough to attack us were spared by the selfless people on Flight 93 while 3000 in New York, who had nothing to do with our foreign policy, perished.

George Bush rallied this nation and for a brief time we were one again. We all felt the pain of the families affected by the attacks. We were all praying for the rescue workers and those who were affected by the biggest attack on our country in its history. We all wanted action taken to find who did it and to make them pay. Bush was the one who sounded the rally cry. He was the one who brought us together and he was the one who went after those responsible. We can debate the actions and whether they were the right ones or what could have been done better but there can be no debate about the President’s resolve.

George Bush is a pretty straight shooter. He says what he means and he means what he says. He believes that his word is his bond and he genuinely cares about people. I know many of his opponents (and I use that word out of kindness) will disagree but they suffer from Bush Derangement Syndrome.

I am not bothered by the way he mispronounces words or stumbles at times when trying to express himself. The fact is that when push comes to shove you can count on him. I would much rather have a man such as he in my corner than a smooth talker who has his own interests at heart. I want a person I know I can count on when the chips are down and I know Bush is such a man. I have heard that a friend is someone who will bail you out.

A true friend will be sitting next to you cut and bruised laughing about the whole thing. Bush would be sitting next to you because he would have your back regardless of the consequences.

George Bush is a religious man who used his religion to guide him. He never turned his back on his religion or its leaders for political gain. Perhaps it is because he is of faith that he does not have questionable religious leaders who hate this country.

I will miss George Bush but admit that after eight years it is time for a changing of the guard. Whether or not the change is good will be seen but the worry will no longer be George Bush’s. Now is the time for him to go do what he wants while enjoying what time he has left on this planet in the country that he loves. I know he counts himself as truly blessed because he was born in the United States of America, the greatest country on the face of the Earth.

I served under George Bush until my retirement and it was my honor to serve under him in his capacity as Commander in Chief. I knew that no matter what the mission and no matter what the orders, he was behind us 100%. He cares deeply about the men and women of the armed forces and they know it.

If we were in a tight spot would I follow George W Bush?

Through the gates of hell and back. I’d walk through the fires of hell carrying gasoline to accomplish whatever mission he gave. Despite his failings, he earned that.

It will take a bit more than hope to earn that same amount of commitment.

So Mr. Bush, enjoy your retirement. You earned it as you now pass the torch that illuminates this Republic. You kept us safe and you never wavered from doing what you thought was right even if it was not the popular decision. You were not perfect but you stayed the course and many in this world owe a debt of gratitude to you. Those who follow will soon see how difficult it is to lead from the front.

Talk is cheap. Action comes with a price.

Good luck and Godspeed.

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Tags: freedom, george bush, inauguration