I watched with interest the NBC interview on TV this evening with former President George W. Bush about his new book "Decision Points." Starting a blog this week with two major people in the world the queen ( Mrs. Windsor) and now Bush might be a little bit dangerous and a magnet for comments the world over, but like Bush this evening it is words that I feel need to be commented on.
Well I must say the interview this evening asked the major questions and openly. I was taken again I must say by Bush's face that not always I felt showed the emotion that went along with his answers. In other words a smile when talking about a serious topic or a wondering look when not needed. I must say that this is a man that has seen it all. A man that when workers could not hear him at "Ground Zero" New York right after 9/11 said "but I hear you." He heard a nation that came together behind the man that heard the pain and gave him a 90% approval rating. He also heard the people give him a 30% rating at the end of his presidency and heard them when he made mistakes and blunders. It was clear that he loves the country he served and expressed very clearly that he had to do things that did not make him very popular because of that love of country. As a person that trained for the ministry I can feel for him on a smaller basis with the people wanting him to be a so called "jack of all trades." and some times people not seeing that sometimes that position is not popular. That is especially true when he talked on the topics of Water boarding, prison abuse etc, but those decisions both embarrassed him and saved lives in the long run. Sometimes you just can not win as a minister or a President. He was very clear that Katrina provided a problem that we fail to understand and that is that it takes the State and local governments to ask for Federal help and he was blamed for being slow to react. Then even this evening an expression of hurt when he said that being called a "racist" was one of his worst days and the commentator come back...worst when you faced 9/11? You just can't always win as a minister or a president.
People do not see I do not think that each President inherits the problems of the previous. but still gets blamed for them anyway. People do not see that it takes a man of integrity and strength to place people in a state of War...and War is hell. It was apparent this evening that decisions were made for the good of the country which maybe not popular were made by a man that loves the USA. He tried to express gratitude and even that caused pain when he expressed a job well done in Iraq, but the war was not over! He admitted without shame that we entered into war without a plan for building afterwards which I feel is a clear indication of a man of strength. You know what in all that he was I feel that he was a man with respect that never may come but a man that knew he had to act and sometimes act quickly. I admire him now for his respect of the Presidency unlike his vice president he feels that it is not right to speak out against a Seated President by a former president. I hope that Former President Clinton hears that! One has to though look at all that Bush faced and how many of us could have done a better job and have the strength when he was not popular in his decisions or actions (that often times were made to look bad by media takes on the Presidency) in all I think this was one of the most open interviews I have seen of a Former President and "Decision Points." should be a good read!
