He was not the best President we have ever had, but he was far from the worst. He kept the nation safe for eight long years; when EVERY move he made to keep it so was vilified. When he was proactive, he was castigated as a usurper trying to overextend his power yet when he followed the chain of actions set forth by law, he was castigated as being too slow or simply uncaring.

Never has a President had to labor to accomplish any worthwhile policies under such radical extremes of reactions.

Thinking back over the last eight years I am reminded of a speech made by another President that was not always appreciated in his own day, the Rough Rider Teddy Roosevelt made in the Sorbonne in 1920 when he put it all into perspective when he said:

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

Mr. Bush, you expended yourself in the worthiest cause any President can do; the safety of the American Republic from the most insidious enemy we've faced in at least 60 years. The work is far from over, the final battles not yet enjoined, but for your part of the fight it can be accounted that the main mission was accomplished.

For that effort Mr. President, thank you. May you enjoy your retirement from the Ship of State for may long years to come, secure in the knowledge that History will judge you far kinder than the present Partisan reactionaries already trying to recast the past in their mold of their limited partisan view.

You can always hold your head high and declare that your Main Mission was Accomplished, to the benefit of us all.

H/T to Jack and SlagleRock

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 03:27 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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