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Whether you actually like George W. or not.... This has some interesting thoughts...

First, an observation. Have you noticed a difference in the salute given by our military men and women as President Bush walks by? Most folks would not notice anything, but those of us who have served in the military see it right away.

Next time, Watch: When President Bush leaves his helicopter or Air Force One, the honor guards salute and face him as he disembarks, then turn their faces towards him as he passes by. They continue to salute his back as he walks away. This kind of salute has not been seen in the previous eight years, though it is customary courtesy to the Commander-in-Chief. You see, soldiers aren't required to turn and face the President as they salute. They are not required to salute his back. They are only required to salute. They can remain face-forward the entire time. And that is what they did during the previous administration. Our soldiers were forced to obey his orders, but they were not forced to respect him. From their salutes, we can surmise that they did not.

Why is such respect afforded to President Bush? He doesn't even know how to bite his lower lip and not get teary-eyed whenever he speaks!

The following incident from Major General Van Antwerp may give us an insight. Gen. Antwerp is president of the Officers' Christian Fellowship. He lost nearly all his staff when the Pentagon was attacked Sept. 11. His executive officer LTC Brian Birdwell was badly burned and in the hospital when President Bush visited him. Our President spent time and prayed with Brian. As he was getting ready to leave, he went to the foot of Brian's bed and saluted. He held his salute until Brian was able to raise his burned and bandaged arm, ever so slowly, in return. The Commander-in-Chief almost never initiates a salute, except in the case of a Congressional Medal of Honor winner. The injured soldier did not have to return the salute. But he did, out of respect to his President ...-a Soldiers' President.

Congressman JC Watts (R. Oklahoma) said, "Character is doing the right thing
when nobody is looking," (My favorite quote of all time.) The nation and world learned some of what our last President did when nobody was looking. That President has been disbarred. The worst disgrace (other than imprisonment) to a lawyer. CNN will have a difficult time shining his or his wife's tarnished images.

In this time of war and danger, I am so grateful to have a President whom the soldiers salute -- fully.

On Special Report with Brit Hume, at the close of the show when they normally have some funny video clip, they showed President Bush and the First Lady on their way to Maine to leave for Camp David for the weekend. As the video starts, the First Lady is leading the way into the helicopter with the spaniel dog on the leash, and the president is right behind her with the Scotty on the leash. As the First Lady entered the chopper, the Marine at the gangway saluted and held his salute. The Scottie the president was walking decided it wanted to sit right when he got to the steps. The president pulled on its leash, but the stubborn Scottie persisted in sitting. The president bent down and scooped up the pooch and entered Marine
One. After he entered, the Marine cut his salute and returned to the position of attention. Moments later the President reemerged from the helicopter and out onto the steps. The Marine was standing at attention, head and eyes straight ahead. The President leaned over and tapped him on the left arm. The startled Marine turned his body toward the President and received his returned salute!

I was so impressed by this true act of respect for our military people by our President! He really does get it. Most any other person of his stature would have just continued his journey, disregarding the neglected return salute. Not George W. Bush. He is earning the respect of the military community, not expecting it -- as most have and would.

President George W. Bush. The man who admitted to having a drinking problem in younger years, and whose happy-go-lucky lifestyle led him to mediocre grades in college and an ill-fated oil venture. Who mangled syntax, and whose speaking miss-steps became known as "Bushisms." He came within a hair's breadth of losing the election in November.

Bush named Jesus Christ as Lord of his life on public TV. Not an Oblique reference to being "born-again" or having a "life change." He actually said the un-PC-like phrase, "Jesus Christ!"

On September 11, he was thrust into a position only known by the likes of
Roosevelt, Churchill, Lincoln, and Washington. The weight of the world was on his shoulders, and the responsibility of a generation was on his soul. So President George W. Bush walked to his seat at the front of the National Cathedral just three days after two of the most impressive symbols of American capitalism and prosperity virtually evaporated.

When the history of this time is written, it will be acknowledged by friend and foe alike that President George W. Bush came of age in that cathedral and lifted a nation off its knees. In what was one of the most impressive exhibitions of self-control in presidential history, President George W. Bush was able to deliver his remarks without losing his resolve, focus, or confidence. God's hand, which guided him through that sliver-thin election, now rested fully on him. As he walked back to his seat, the camera angle was appropriate. He was virtually alone in the scene, alone in that massive place with God, just him and the Lord.

Back at his seat, George H. Bush reached over and took his son's hand. In that gesture his father seemed to say, "I wish I could do this for you, son, but I can't. You have to do this on your own."

President George W. Bush squeezed back and gave him a look of peace that said, "I don't have to do it alone, Dad. I've got Help."

What a blessing to have a professing Christian as President.

Please take a moment after you read this to "pray for him." He truly does have the weight of the world on his shoulders. Pray that God will sustain him and give him wisdom and discernment in his decisions.

Pray for his protection and that of his family.

And after you have prayed, send this to everyone on your e-mail list. Our President needs Christians, Democrats and Republicans alike, to be praying for him. As this makes the e-mail rounds, eventually there could literally be millions of people praying for him, and for our Great Country....

Outstanding post...

Pray sent...

I'm with Charlie....

Hail to the Chief!

Very nice post. I will start to pay more attention to this! President Bush will be in my prayers.

Mag

Remember when he cried while addressing the events of 9/11/01? Many called it a weakness at first, I think it showed strength and character! The same kind of character when he greets anybody!

He truly is a great man!

Charlie

Shhh, John. You'll wake the forces of reaction.

Dr. Vibrator...er, Vibe, (just kidding around)

Actually, and unlike the president, I couldn't go to Harvard because my parents were poor. My dad was a mailman and my mother cleaned houses while starting an antique business. Struggled, all my childhood. I had the test scores and gpa to have a shot, but no shot at covering the tuition.

So I went to a modest college that had a lot of financial aid. No 2.0 for me, my friend. 3.9, as it turns out. See, I had to work for every last bit of recognition I got...nothing handed to me. So I have the work-ethic. My point about GWB is that EVERYTHING was handed to him. Even admission to Harvard with a 2.0gpa from Yale. Try that without the Bush name and see where it gets you. Or, let me save you the time: it would put your application in the shredder. But it got GWB in. Hmmmm, affirmative action?

If it makes you feel better, I didn't vote for Gore, either. Turns out I am a socialist. Yep, I am the professor your mom and dad warned you about.

The good side of that, however, is that I can enjoy a Cuban cigar guilt-free...no ambivalence about supporting the enemy (remember, Cuba is on the axis of evil...what a friggin' joke...Cuba? They can barely feed their own people, much less plot the downfall of the U.S.). Ha ha. Then again, I do wonder how the conservative patriot-types justify smoking Cubans...oh well, that's their business. I got no problem with it. The embargo is insane and we all know it, unless you live in the paranoid world of Miami.

I love the forces of reaction, jrredoch. Ha ha. But thanks for the heads-up.

John

LMAO!!!!!!!!

Hog

Those who can,do.Those who can't or wish they could engage in self pitty and or hatered/jealousy for those who can and do.

The President has been handed a full plate,much of which was passed over from the previous administration and has performed way beyond even his most ill-informed detractors and he will contiue to do so because he is the real deal,a real man with real beliefs and faults that he so bravely brought right to the forfront of his campaing.That is why he is respected and loved by so many,including many of his former detractors.You call him what you will,all I can tell you is I know many people who hated/distrusted him and now tell me almost daily that they couldn't imagine anybody that they would rather see in the White House than GWB.

This is truely an inspiring post and I will forward it to as many people as I can. History will show that G.W. is one of the most upstanding, moral, righteous and genuine presidents in U.S. history.

Mag, I appreciate your words re: the open nature of this forum. Agree or disagree, I never said anyone should stop participating. 'Miscellaneous' does not mean 'if you are right-wing.' It means 'if you are a Cbid member.' Given my credit card debt to this place, believe me, I am a member. Plus, I've traded with more than a few of you and have always been a good member that way. So telling me to f-off was both lame and uncalled for. I am a decent person, believe it or not.

By telling me I should shut up, DrMaddVibe, your words echo fascism and dictatorship...the end of dialogue in the name of one view. How very un-patriotic, frankly.

I think there are a lot of problems with the current president. I think he represents the level of mediocrity in our society, not the very best of the best. And that saddens me. I can't stand the politics of Bob Dole or John McCain or Pat Buchanan, but I credit those guys with being smart, articulate, and reflective about what they believe. They scare me, yes, but see that they have a fully thought out position on all the issues. I really question that with the current president.

I also wonder about his character. He is enthusiastic about the death penalty. How this squares with Jesus' message (the ultimate victim of the death penalty, by the way), I'll never understand. He opposes preferential treatment, but benefitted from it his whole life. He wants to drill in the Alaska Wilderness, despite no public support whatsoever. He is BLATANTLY inconsistent on Iraq and North Korea...if one rogue nation's nuke is bad, they're all bad. Read up on N.Korea. Their human rights record is no better than Iraq's.

Oh, and where is bin Laden and his colleagues? That slipped off the radar.

What has this guy done that warrants such respect, except profess that he loves Jesus (mere words...where are the actions behind this? Where is the ethic of mercy? Where is the generosity and kindness that is embodied in Jesus? Where is the love of the weakest? Nowhere to be found in policy. I don't care about his heart. He is the president.).

And so on. Republicans can do a lot better. I continue to be miffed that y'all aren't embarrassed.

John

jreddoch,

I hope you have pissed everyone off here. Take some heat off me.

List of socialist institutions here: Medicare, Medicaid, Public Library system, Pell Grants, Social Security, Public Schools.

Not a dead idea.

Also, look at how socialistic European countries are (and how the socialistic EU is kicking ass on the world economic stage). You might be surprised. It isn't dead, unless you only look at party politics in the U.S. We're kind of backwards that way, or just dishonest, not calling important institutions what they are: socialist. Look elsewhere...Asia, Europe, Central and South America, Africa. It is completely alive.

I think capitalism is a morally bankrupt system. It has produced inequities of cosmic proportion and very intense poverty in rich nations (the U.S. being a nice example of this). That is moral bankrupcy defined: refusal to help the weak when one is strong. So there!

Plus, the ivory tower rocks. Don't knock it 'till you try it.

John

Points taken. I think the examples you mention are neither truly socialist, nor truly capitalist, particularly the EU countries. Yes the govt. plays a large role, but so does the private sector.

As for medicare, medicaid, et al. They do indeed exist and are based on socialistic ideas. How well they work is another issue isn't it?

The ivory tower sucks. I spent seven years earning degrees. I despised the system and most of the professors. Yes there were some good ones. They tended to be professors of the sciences like physics, genetics, physiology and the like. The Liberal Arts professors always srruck me as folks who felt entitled to blather about their unverifiable opinions. Uniformly left of center, to the point that I could easily predict what they would say about any given issue. What a waste of time. Thank God I realized I was capable of picking up a book on any given subject and reading it without a professor telling me what to think of Twain's symbolism or whatever.

"Culture is an instrument wielded by professors to manufacture professors, who when their turn comes, will manufacture professors" -Simone Weil

jreddoch,

While I repect your articulations here, I wonder if you understand how offensive (and even naive) your comments about the liberal arts are to me as a person. Or if you care. I've dedicated my life to understanding the history of ideas and communicating the importance of critical thinking to countless students. My society doesn't value that at all; I get paid very little, given that I have the highest degree attainable in this world. And, as evidenced by your comments, I don't even get an inkling of respect from my fellow citizens. That's ok, though, I do it for the love of teaching and ideas, and the feeling of connection to students.

The notion that the liberal arts are bull**** is pretty sad and reflects where U.S. is on the world cultural map. What is a society without philosophy, literature, art, etc.? There is no society in history that hasn't produced what we call the 'liberal arts.' If you don't like them, fine. I don't care for science. I always found it boring. But that doesn't mean I think it is bull****. Let someone else do it, and I know it is important and valuable.

It is a sad commentary on us as a culture if the only things of value are 'useful' at a personal level. Sometimes useless things are the most important parts of life, like reading poetry or having a conversation about the meaning of life or the meaning of beauty. Damn...even smoking a premium cigar with a friend!Sorry if that stuff isn't helpful to your everyday concerns. It isn't supposed to be. It is supposed to be about our inner life, that part of us that isn't bought and sold on the open market.

Do you hate the liberal arts because you had some professors you didn't like? That means you hate the professors, not the liberal arts. I'd have hoped the professors would train you to make that distinction. For that, I blame them.

I know very few professors who are anything other than moderate democrats or moderate republicans. I know only a few who are radical on the right or left. They're all lukewarm moderates, for the most part. Look up how many professors are unionized. Very few. There is a myth of the 'communist' professors out there. That is totally false. And, further, I've been denied employment opportunities because of my political writings. By other professors! That should tell you all you need to know about the so called 'liberal academy.' Then again, you might cheer them on in this regard...

For the record, my students never know my politics. That's not my job. My job is to get them to think critically by asking deep, enduring questions.

John

John, you're right and I'm sorry. As a compulsive reader who places the highest value on autodidacticism I do have a bug up my ass about liberal arts. For the vast majority of students the only exposure they get to ideas is the classes they take. I make no apology for placing a higher value on the sciences than liberal arts, but sometimes I get carried away. For that I apologize. God knows I don't need any more enemies. You're lucky you've found something to do you love. Really, why should you care what I think? No one else does.

jreddoch,

Sniff sniff...

I care 'cause I'm sensitive.

A debate is only fun and productive if people push the envelope, so no need to apologize.

John

Dr.Vibrator,

I love you, man. Relax.

This is an unfortunate equation: socialism = fascism.

You'd be surprised, perhaps, to find that all fascist states define themselves in opposition to socialism. Maybe you mean dictatorships, which are diametrically opposed to socialism. Socialism is fundamentally democratic; socialists want to democratize the workplace by making workplaces worker-owned, thereby taking away the hierarchy of owner-worker that disempowers the worker. State-power is to be decentralized, not consolidated, so the examples you give are counter to the spirit of socialism. I'd recommend Kai Nielsen's work on democracy and socialism. Like it or not, he makes a compelling case for socialism as the fulfillment of democracy's promises. Worth a read.

I am saddened that you are horrified with the possibility of my sharing socialist ideas with students. The point of an education is to see the world through as many points of view as possible. The end result is that people are able to understand why they believe what they believe better BECAUSE of encountering ideas other than their own. Believe me, students are generally too smart and too independent to follow the dictates of a professor. Good students, though, consider all points of view and form their own views. That's what I think forums like this can be...the exchange of contrary ideas.

Also, having conflicting views doesn't mean you tell the other person to go f*** themselves. One of the true pleasures of life is a good cigar, some coffee, and vigorous debate about the true meaning of political life. Mag might be a conservative christian and I might be a socialist agnostic (not an athiest, actually), but I can see myself smoking a Monte #2 with him, drinking some Irish whiskey, and debating until the wee hours of the morning. Followed by a handshake or hug, a goodbye, and a good time had by all.

Ain't that what democracy is about, after all? People are people, intelligent and engaging. We should affirm that, whatever the differences.

"Cigars and alcohol...bring people together since the beginning of time."

I know you despise me because of my views. You've made that abundantly clear. But, for the record, I don't feel the same about you because you disagree with me. That would be wasted energy, and ultimately an insult to you as a person who has thought out views and the capacity to reason.

(Also...Mag, we should exchange notes on the Monte #2s you got. I smoked mine.)

John

Christ! will somebody get the proff some cheese and a hanky to go whith this Whine...Why is it most of you liberals start out persecuting someone or something and almost always want to turn these threads into how you are the ones being persecuted?
Get over it already!!! LOL

I am really perplexed by the number of people professing adoration for GWB. I grant you that Clinton had become and appeared very arrogant by the end of his term. Is it that GW looks better by comparison? Yeah, the salutes, the little touches showing caring for people are nice. I don't doubt his sincerity. He's a nice enough guy. The big question though, with any President is: Are we better off now, and will we be better off at the end of his term in office? The previous admin. had a very muddled foriegn policy. The current one is pretty much pursuing foriegn policy as events dictate and as opportunity allows them to further the vision they see for the future. Domestically, I think we are headed for trouble. But then, I'm middle class. Without 9/11 the American people would be pissed off right now. My prediction is that if GW wins a second term, and I think he will, Colin Powell resigns as Sec. State.

xrundog

I'm asuming that when you say we are in trouble domestically, you mean the economy. Saying that people would be pissed at GWB if it werent for 9-11 may, or may not be true.

A big part of the economies downfall is due to 9-11. Look at the airlines, look at cities that are tourist driven economies. They still arent back to normal. Many businesses have closed, to never re-open.

GWB is facing dilemas never encountered before. There is no way to compare him to others.

I think under the circumstances he is doing a great job. Just my opinion.

Mag

E,My Grandpa used to tell me, Jimmy it's like this, if they can't baffle you with so called(self important) brilliance they'll try to baffle/deluge you with Bull Sh*t.Grandpa was one hell of an intelligent/experienced man for an immigrant farmer.:0)

RunDog Puuulease

"The big question though, with any President is: Are we better off now, and will we be better off at the end of his term in office?

That is probably the most self centered/arrogant reponse I've ever heard.Thats not the queston I asked myself when I went to the polls.I asked myself who would be best for the country as a whole.

"The previous admin. had a very muddled foriegn policy. The current one is pretty much pursuing foriegn policy as events dictate and as opportunity allows them to further the vision they see for the future."


Hmmmmmmm? Sounds like sound policy to me,unless your infuring that somehow they planned all the events that have come up in the last year or so.If thats the case I'm afraid I'd have to call you somewhat of a Wacko!!! LOL

has anyone seen video of bush before meetings, rocking back and forth in his chair.

Magnafide


"GWB is facing dilemas never encountered before."

sorry to point out, he never faced a dilema before that wasn't solved by the family money and influence.

hi dr, long time no see.