Representative Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, who pushed a tough border security bill through the House of Representatives, had this to say about the President:
"He basically turned his back on provisions of the House-passed bill, a lot of which we were requested to put in the bill by the White House. That was last fall when we were drafting the bill, and now the president appears not to be interested in it at all."
Not interested? A clear majority of Americans is interested in this bill and support its proposals. The people that believed in President Bush enough to contribute to his campaign and work hard towards his election are interested in this bill.
President Bush has always been stubbornly loyal to his friends, but who are his friends? Vincente Fox? Illegal trespassers whose future illegal votes so many politicians are courting?
Who is this guy, George Bush?
I know he is the guy that put his presidential legacy on the line in order to face down radical Islam and preemptively strike against our enemy. He is the guy that pushed through tax cuts that saved our economy after 9/11. He is the one who nominated two strict constructionists to the Supreme Court that will have influence for years to come. But who is this guy?
To me, he looks like a tired man. I would describe him as a good leader and a mediocre politician, who has had just about enough of the hateful rhetoric, the laid traps, and the self-centered ambitious of Washington. I don't think 2008 can come fast enough for him.
We on the right are no strangers to hateful rhetoric. When he nominated Harriet Miers for the supreme court, George Bush learned a little of our loyalty to him. He made a mistake, and then made it right, but not before suffering a barrage of belittling pot shots from his friends.
I don't understand the President's policy on Illegal Trespassers. But Washington is what it is, and George Bush is navigating a maze of pitfalls that few of us can appreciate or understand. While I will continue to criticize his and the government's policy, I hope to couch my criticism in respect.
I think Peter Heck put it best on a recent post: "I love the President and respect him...but I cannot and do not respect his ideas on immigration."
I, too, love and respect this president. And though my frustration sometimes masks my loyalty, I stubbornly refuse to forget the good he has done.
2 comments:
It's easy for the rest of the world to criticize the President, but the truth is, none of us will ever fully understand the pressure Mr. Bush is under on a daily basis. There is a reason that 8 years in the Oval Office dramatically ages it's occupant. This seems especially true in President Bush's case.
I certainly can't begin to imagine the stress that he has endured, with 9/11, war on two fronts, two hotly contested elections, and so much hostility between the parties. The politics alone would be enough to drive a sane man to the loony bin.
Of course, this isn't a reason to just let the President off the hook, but it is a good thing to keep in mind. He's a human, he's got to be exhausted and the issues on his plate are overwhelming.
I don't agree with him on this issue and I wish that he would listen to those of us who aren't quite as tired and overwhelmed as he is, but I do still respect his presidency and the good things that he has accomplished.
I remember seeing the pictures of Abraham Lincoln from his first to last years in office. The stress of the job and the war changed his face so much.
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