President Bush
our leader
This was the
same man who came within a hair's breadth of losing an election in November,
who withstood the political chicanery of the Florida Democratic machine to fix
the vote count.
This was the same 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.
This was the same man who mangled syntax even more than his father, and whose
speaking missteps became known as "Bushisms."
And on Friday, this was the man who bore the weight of the world and the
responsibilities of a generation with dignity, class, confidence, appropriate
solemnity, and even much-needed wit.
One thing struck me during the campaign, that difficult, roller-coaster
campaign that now seems years ago. It was that George W. Bush never seemed to
get ruffled. Whether the theft of a campaign debate video or the sudden (some
would say, vicious) release of a DUI arrest two decades ago at a key moment,
"W" did not lose his cool. At times, his staff seemed overconfident,
as did many of us. A 350-electoral-vote win, they quietly implied . . .
and we optimistically believed. Then they counted the votes, miscounted others,
and re-counted still others. At the end, he was still there. Whereas Al
Gore almost frantically huffed and puffed, trying to gin up something out of
nothing, Bush quietly but confidently waited at his ranch. He did
nothing: that is the mistake people have constantly made with this man,
confusing lack of bluster for absence of action. No, his team of attorneys and
the iron-willed James Baker were carrying out his orders, but W stayed in the
background, confident and faithful.
You see, it is this faith business that confounded everyone. We have had such
actors and liars in public office that we have looked skeptically whenever
anyone used the term faith. But this was the same man who was the first
politician ever in recent memory to name Jesus Christ as the lord of his life
on public TV. Not an oblique reference to being "born-again" or
having a "life change." He said the un-PC-like phrase, "Jesus
Christ," to which his handlers and advisors, no doubt, off stage, were
also saying, "Jesus Christ" in a much different tone.
God has a way of honoring those who honor Him. David learned that while he was
on the run from Saul's armies. Job learned that after his time of horrible
tribulation. The Messiah said so Himself, many times.
So this was the man who actually put faith into practice. He actually loves
those who hate him. It is a staggering concept, so foreign in daily occurrence
that few thought it anything but grandstanding. Even one of W's biggest
supporters chided the President for adhering to his "new tone." Yet
there he was, again and again, thanking the Democrats. Appointing his enemies
to high places in his government. Inviting his former foes and their wives to
private movie screenings, and (I know, this is hard to stomach) even treating
them with dignity. See, this was the man who learned early on how faith worked:
by praying for his enemies, you "heap burning coals upon their
heads."
This was the man who named the absolute top people in national security and
defense, then caught barbs from the politically righteous that this one didn't
have the right views on abortion or that one didn't have the right position on
guns.
And on September 11, at mid-morning, this was the man thrust into a position
only known by 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 this same man---the one that the media repeatedly attempted to
tarnish with charges of "illegitimacy," and the one whose political
opponents desperately sought to stonewall until mid-term elections---walked to
his seat at the front of the National Cathedral just three days after the two
most impressive symbols of American capitalism and prosperity virtually
evaporated, along with, perhaps, thousands of Americans.
As he sat down next to his wife, immediately I knew that even if his faith ever
faltered, hers didn't. I have never seen a more peaceful face than Laura Bush,
whose eyes seemed as though they were already gazing at the final outcome . . .
not just of this conflict, but of her reward in Heaven itself. In this
marriage, you indeed got two for the price of one.
Then came the defining moment of our generation. Some people fondly recall
their Woodstock days. Others mark with grim sadness November 22, 1963, as the
day America lost her innocence. But I firmly believe 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. It wasn't so much his words, though read a decade later, they will
indeed be as stirring as any. This conflict would end, he noted, " . . .
at a time of our choosing." It certainly wasn't his emotion. What had
to have been one of the most stunning exhibitions of self-control in
presidential history, W was able to deliver his remarks without losing
either his resolve or his focus, or, more important, his confidence. It was as
if God's hand, which had guided him through that sliver-thin election, now
rested fully on him.
His quiet confidence let our enemies know . . . and believe me, they know. . .
. that they made a grave miscalculation. Now, this same man who practiced his
faith through a tough election, who steeled his convictions even more in a
drawn-out Florida battle, and who never once gave in to the temptation to get
in the gutter with his foes (well, ok, maybe the "Clymer" comment is
an exception), this same man now lifted the weight of the world and the responsibility
of a generation and put it on his modest shoulders as though it were another
unpleasant duty.
As he walked back to his seat, the camera angle was appropriate. He was
virtually alone in the scene, alone in that massive place of God, just him and
the Lord. But that's the way it's always been in his life recently. In
that brief time it took him to return to his seat, I believe he heard words to
the effect of, "You can do this, George. I am with you always. And you can
do this well, because I am going before you. And don't worry about the weight.
I've got it." And I saw in his eyes a quiet acknowledgement. "I know.
Thank you, Lord."
Back at his seat, when W sat down, George H. W. Bush reached over and took
his son's hand. The elder Bush always struck me as a religious man, but not
someone who shared his life on a daily basis with the Lord. George H. W. treats
the Father like a respected uncle, visiting Him on appropriate holidays and
knowing the relationship is real, but not constant. Anyway, I believe
that in that fatherly squeeze George H. W. said, "I wish I could do this
for you, son, but I can't. You have to do this on your own." W squeezed
back and gave him that look of peace that Laura had kept throughout. It said,
"I don't have to do it alone, dad. I've got help."
*******************
What a blessing to have a professing christian as President - one who is not
ashamed to admit it! 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. Make
no mistake about it - the decisions he makes in the coming days, weeks and
months will literally define the future of our country and the free world. Pray
for his protection and that of his family.
