|
2008-02-11 For the benefit of our country, I hope and pray respect for the office of the president returns with the new president in 2009. The abuse the presidency of George Bush was forced to tolerate has been nothing short of obscene.
Just last week, someone referred to the president as "that bastard Bush." The former first lady, senator and presidential candidate gently nodded her head in approval and answered the foul mouth with, "Well, there is a lot of truth in that."
For years now Mr. Bush has been called a liar, betrayer, dummy, bastard, fear monger, murderer … just to name a few. The Democratic Party has spent the last seven years attacking the man and the office. Now the next president will attempt to sit in the Oval Office and command respect. Be it Democrat or Republican … good luck!
I wonder if the Democrats have ever taken a moment out of hating George Bush to consider the long-term damage they will have inflicted on the presidency by attacking everything President Bush said or did. They made a cottage industry of these attacks two years into a war talking about how the "dummy" duped them into it. Who is the idiot in that equation? Being duped by a dummy is nothing I would list on my resume if I were applying for the job as leader of the free world.
I can only imagine the outcome if the attacks Mr. Bush has weathered had been leveled on George Washington while fighting the British prior to becoming our first president? Could you see Mr. Lincoln being called a liar and a crook during the Civil War? How effective would FDR have been fighting the Nazis if Charles Curtis was screaming, "He betrayed us. He played on our fears," as Al Gore did?
There is a better-than-equal chance there will be a Democrat sitting in the Oval Office as our 44th president. Should that president be treated in the same manner George Bush was treated during a time of war? Will the Democrat leader of the Senate talk about losing the war after the president sends troops to fight in foreign lands?
I am all for free speech, and I love a country that embraces dissent. But when we elevate dissent to ad hominem attacks on the president with troops in harm's way, we are treading on very treacherous ground.
When people in America were claiming Bill Clinton ordered air strikes to deflect the Lewinsky scandal, I was very vocal with my criticism. Pundits were all singing the "Wag the Dog" song. The leaders of the Republican Party were not part of the choir.
The time for debate is prior to a presidential or congressional decision. There will always be plenty of time to analyze, criticize and attack after the fact; but not during. Once the order is given, we only lessen the chance of success when the very folks who gave the authority to make the decision attack the motive.
Decorum has been thrown out the window by a power hungry Democratic Party that will sacrifice anything to regain power. Even if the presidency, military and ultimately the country are the offering. It's as if Democrats suffer from Munchausen by Proxy syndrome. If they destroy the presidency, military and the country they will have something to fix once they take up residency at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
It is bad enough when Moveon.org or Cindy Sheehan is hammering the president. I understand the idiots like Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon attacking the Bush Oval Office. Calls for impeachment from future Secretary of the Dept. of Peace Kucinich are a certainty. Hugo Chavez, Michael Moore and Ahmadinejad attacks should be expected. But former presidents? Former vice presidents? The Senate majority leader? The speaker of the House? Have we lost any sense of decorum in politics today? Has it truly become a no-holds-barred approach?
I applaud Mr. Bush for not lowering the presidency to the level of attacks he has had to endure. I appreciate the respect he still holds for the office. He will not return attack for attack. He will continue to do his job as he sees fit. Right or wrong. And for that I have a tremendous respect for the man.
Mr. Bush has clearly made a number of mistakes, and I am confident history will deal with each one in the proper way. He has however made the safety of this nation his top priority for the last seven years. I only hope it will be the priority of all future presidents.
The next president will be faced with very serious problems. That is without question. I just hope the Democratic damage inflicted on the office does not diminish the ability of the office and its resident to lead us going forward. Hindsight may be very painful to the Democrats in what their Bush-hating folly produces for the long-term image of our country.
One thing I can assure you: You won't see Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney acting like Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton or Al Gore. That is for sure. The Bush administration has too much respect for itself and the country for that to happen.
Back To Commentary Archives | More Commentary @ WND.com Archives
|
|
|
