This morning, NPR had a piece on the Inaugural. One of the comments from a European was that Europe is pleased that Bush will come visit, as he has many fences to mend. MSM constantly remind us that Bush needs to reach across the aisle and to those in the blue states.
Bush tried that when he first took office. He tried that immediately after 9/11. He has, I hope, learned his lesson.
When all the world’s diplomats and leaders are stuck in the past and simply trying to hold on, why should he stay there with them? He has taken the political risks to do what he believed to be right. None of them are willing to take any political risk–save Tony Blair. What obligation does he have to reach out? He won. Perhaps somebody in MSM should break out of the pack and demand that others reach out to him and try to assist in mending those fences we keep hearing about. Personally, I wonder if tearing those fences down shouldn’t be our number one priority.
People wonder why our military backs Bush so strongly–it is a bond that you cannot understand unless you have been there and dealt with some of the CinCs we’ve had in the past. Last night’s Inaugural activities included the Commander-in-Chief’s Ball which is hosted and attended by military personnel. Bush went to that one to wrap up his evening:
“I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings, but it looks like we saved the best for last.”
President Bush is standing more or less where President Reagan stood in the midst of his presidency: all sorts of supposedly smart people calling in one direction, while he strides resolutely in the opposite direction, saying, “Follow us.” President Reagan led, and the world followed. As long as President Bush holds his resolve, the world will follow him. They’ll go kicking and screaming, but they’ll go.
And when they can no longer ignore his success or pretend it’s failure, they’ll turn around and say it was obvious and inevitable, and they’ll give him no credit. And they’ll think that robbing him of credit is some minor victory. What they don’t understand is that he values results, not credit, so he just won’t care.
Comment by UML Guy — January 22, 2005 @ 5:07 am
The one thing that bothered me about Clinton and always made me wary of anything he did was “legacy”. I had never heard a President use that word before. Bush has made it quite clear he understands that a legacy is only apparent long after you’ve left this earth.
Comment by Bunker — January 22, 2005 @ 2:34 pm