THE SECOND TERM, GOD ON BOARD!
By Buck Evinger
I had a gut reaction to George Bush’s inauguration speech. Big, Bold and fantastic! I waited to post my thoughts on W.’s inauguration for two reasons. I wanted time to read the text of his speech and to time to take in some of the post speech coverage and analysis. I think it’s important to see what other people think before forming an opinion.
I am also anxiously awaiting a post from my good friend Zack, a regular contributor to this site. He attended this inauguration and the last.
After a period of reflection, I’m still giving it an A on all counts, but I’m intrigued by some takes. Peggy Noonan, one of my favorite conservative writers, is concerned that Bush and his administration may be a little ambitious, if this speech was any indicator of things to come. In her latest internet post, she takes issue with Bush’s call to ” end tyranny” on the planet. She makes a good point, one that I’m sure will be seized upon by Bush detractors. She says this is not heaven, this is earth, and no amount of doing is going to make it the utopia of freedom and liberty of which Bush spoke.
My take is this. In the Christian faith, God commands his followers to go forth into all the world and spread the gospel. Make everybody hear it and covert everybody that you can. Now this is a virtually impossible task, but God commands that Christians give it their best shot, none-the-less. It would seem to me that this is the same motivation that allowed those words “end tryanny” into Bush’s inauguration speech. I think Bush and everyone who heard the speech recognizes that ending tryanny completely is not going to happen, but it’s a good goal, isn’t it?
Noonan’s column helped me to understand a little more about why Bush is so hated and maligned by is foes. Not only does he have strong convictions, he doesn’t screw around when it comes to acting on them. Bush knows he is president, knows what he wants to do and is setting about doing those things, critics be damned. That is the definition of a leader.
I think Bush is the first president of modern times to be truly religious, and have a spine. At least he appears to be, of course, his true heart is only known to him and his creator. Now I know all you liberals will point to Jimmy Carter, and yes, he was a “Godly” president. But he was also the weakest, most un-respected president, probably of all time. It’s Bush’s combination of religious belief and Texas, “Get’er Done” mentality that scares the left. They’ll tolerate someone who says their religious, but not if they actually are religious.
This inauguration speech demonstrated to the world two important, and to some, two very scarey facts. George Bush is a man of religion who counts on his belief for guidance, and, he is not afraid to act.
I’ve known truly Godly and religious men in my life. They were not kooks or flakes. They were good men. Men you could trust. Their decisions, even down to the mundane decisions of daily life, were guided by their principals of faith. If George Bush is a truly Godly man and relies on prayer and the principals of his faith to guide him, so be it.
I trust his advisor.
LAL
Julian Says: January 22nd, 2005 at 3:30 pm
So Buck, You think that God is a good advisor for Bush but He did a crappy job advising Carter. I guess God has off days too. Maybe He was having a bad day we the Tsunami hit. The cop out with the religious arguement is that you don’t have any evidence whatsoever to support it one way or the other. That arguement is known as “the last refuge of the scoundrel.”
Emory Says: January 22nd, 2005 at 6:51 pm
Maybe Carter wasn’t listening to the advice. I think a lot of people, including myself, have made that mistake at times in their lives. Carter’s ear was certainly not open to preserving and spreading democracy by forcefully standing against tyranny and oppression.
BonnieM Says: January 22nd, 2005 at 9:59 pm
Carter has shown since he left office that he cares for the poor and helps build the houses for them. But it chaps me when he criticizes Bush for the job he is doing when Carter himself, did a pretty poor job while in office. You know I heard Carter say he was a Christian, and I believe he was or is, but believe me – from experience – I can say Christians don’t alway ask for God’s Guidance or for his will to be done. Some Christians are meek and don’t take bold stands (again – speaking from experience). Maybe Carter was like me. I just think that everyone cannot make the hard choices, particularly politicians who are afraid of losing the votes because of it, next time around.
buck Says: January 26th, 2005 at 8:28 pm
Julian,
Did you actually read the article I wrote, or just skim it? I said that if Bush is turning to God for his guidence, I applaud that. I didn’t say Jimmy Carter did or didn’t seek heavenly guidence. I just said he was a terrible president. Your Tsunami comment and “God’s bad day” is the real cop out. AND WHAT ARGUMENT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I was making a statement of opinion, not attempting to prove the existence of a supreme being. Scoundrels are those who claim foul where none exists because it is their refuge of last resort for a weak argument.
Julian Says: January 26th, 2005 at 9:18 pm
now this ought to be fun.
Julian Says: January 26th, 2005 at 9:48 pm
Buck,
Look at the last sentence of your “article.” I think the implicit statement is that 1) god is Bush’s advisor, 2) god supports Bush’s policies. According to who, Bush himself? Just because he says so? The case that god has played a guiding role in Bush’s actions as president is just as non-sensical. By the way, God is my advisor and he told me to write this note to you. He agrees with me on virtually everything. Disagree with me, you are disagreeing with God. See what I mean?
BTW, Jesus doesn’t like killing, no matter what the reason is for, that’s why your flag decal won’t get you into heaven any more.
Julian Says: January 26th, 2005 at 9:56 pm
Buck,
If you liked Bush’s inauguration speech, you would absolutely love Bin Laden’s speeches.
buck Says: January 26th, 2005 at 10:42 pm
Julian. Here’s the last sentence of the article. NOTE THE WORD IF AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SENTENCE
If George Bush is a truly Godly man and relies on prayer and the principals of his faith to guide him, so be it.
I trust his advisor.
The only thing implied in that statement is that #1)I don’t know that he relies on God as his advisor and #2) If he does, that’s fine with me. I’m not trying to prove that he does one thing or another, but your response proves the basic premise of my article. Liberals freak whenever policitians REALLY invoke religion, and mean it. In typical liberal fashion, when the facts don’t support your argument…make them up!
Julian Says: January 27th, 2005 at 12:16 am
You are talking to a conservative who thinks Bush should not be forgiven for lying to us. He let the true conservatives down. And, do you think Bin Laden is just a politician who REALLY invokes religion to support his perverse agenda? How can you tell the difference?
Julian Says: January 27th, 2005 at 1:10 am
Buck,
You really serious about the facts? let’s chat about Bush’s tendency to ignore the best science when it is not convenient for his policies. He has such disdain for science it boggles my mind. He has a mind that is better suited to the dark ages. If you want to talk science policy, I am loaded for bear here.
Bonniem Says: January 27th, 2005 at 3:23 am
Julian, you really serious that you are a conservative? I am not trying to get in on this conversation, But can’t believe the conversations I have had with you, that you are a conservative. Won’t go into the lying thing again. Same ol song!
Julian Says: January 27th, 2005 at 11:35 am
BonnieM. I absolutely am conservative. Get this – I even supported the Iraq war before the invasions because I believed what Bush was telling us. That’s the last time I will trust him! If you really look deeply at the facts, it is now clear that Bush and his administration were both incompetent in the way they handled intelligence information and they were more than willing to distort the information available to them to justify the invasion. I think they are kicking themselves in the butts for the mistakes they have made but they simply can’t figure out what to do to salvage the mess. They are not worthy of our support.
Julian Says: January 27th, 2005 at 11:38 am
Furthermore, do you really think that Bush is a true conservative (in the historical sense of the term)? Look at his actions and policies. He is a RADICAL.
Julian Says: January 27th, 2005 at 12:09 pm
Buck,
Come out, come out, where ever you are.
So I just want to be sure I understand your point. You want to place the emphasis on the word IF, as in – if he really relies on God, that’s ok with you. So you saying that Bush may be relying on god, or he may be just blowing smoke. I’m betting that if he is true to form, he is just blowing smoke.
Chris Says: January 27th, 2005 at 7:19 pm
Is this whole website a joke, or do you people actually think/write this way?
Julian Says: January 28th, 2005 at 12:14 am
Sup ya’ll? I miss ya.
Sean Says: January 30th, 2005 at 5:08 am
More to the point Julian, You are just blowing smoke. Since the day you came here.
Sean Says: January 30th, 2005 at 5:22 am
Yeah Chris…it’s a joke….And the Jokes on you A-hole.
Sean Says: January 30th, 2005 at 8:22 pm
BonnieM,
Please don’t be fooled…Julian is no more a Conservative then I am a liberal. There are lots of liars out there that CLAIM to be something in whatever company they are in for credibility. All you have to do is listen to what he is saying, and you know he’s no Conservative. There are also extremist liberals who actually register as Republicans so that they can vote in Republican primaries to try to influence what Republican candidates win the nomination. This is an attempt to only elect “Moderate” Republicans who are really just watered down Democrats. I met one of these people in High School…..He was a teacher!
Julian Says: January 30th, 2005 at 10:43 pm
Sean,
May I suggest thorazine.
Bonniem Says: January 30th, 2005 at 11:14 pm
How ’bout them Iraqis!!! I am so proud of them today and and they have shown that they really are anxious to work toward freedom in their country. At least the ones who went to the polls to vote even under the threat of violence. And Our troops and the Iraqi troops stood their watch. Still the Naysayers in the U.S. are trying to belittle the whole thing. Shame on them.
Richard S. Drake Says: February 1st, 2005 at 11:54 pm
So – is George Bush going to spread “freedom” to the countries ruled by cruel dictatorhsips – who also happen to be our “allies” – or is just more self-serving nonsense – like his much vaunted “We’re going to Mars!!!’ BS???
D-Ice Says: March 11th, 2005 at 7:36 pm
Hey man! What’s up? Bush is the right guy for the job! I think he should be president till he dies and if you gotta problem with that then……..
Allen Says: March 12th, 2005 at 5:38 am
as a response to Bonnie “M” (I’ve been seeing a lot of bonnies lately, thank you for identifying yourself with the nice M, you dont really dont sound to conservative. Disagreeing with the prez is one thing, I disagree with him on a few things, but you pulled a classic liberal move when you failed to support your comment with any…
what were those again…
oh yea,
FACTS!
Bonniem Says: March 12th, 2005 at 11:16 pm
Allen, I am not really sure what comment of mine you are referring to. As to my political leanings, I really consider myself independent. For instance, I take no stand on abortion. Now that could just be that I am wishy washy! Also, I hated the way the Republicans jumped on Clintons misdeeds (?) and just wouldn’t let go. Then again, I hate the way Democrats loses all sense of — well, sense and just come up with some of the most silly criticisms of Bush or other Republicans. I have said before that I wish we had not gone into Iraq – but then- The safety of this nation is not in my hands. I don’t make the hard decisions. Don’t want to – don’t have to make those decisions. Actually, I don’t like politics ! But I do believe that if you don’t take an interest and vote and try to decide who (not what party) you want to govern, you don’t have the right to complain. So back to your comment. What comment that I made are you talking about?. By the way, The Social security issue is a prime example. I heard for at least 8 years under the democrats about what a bad shape our social security was in. Now that someone wants to do something about it —- guess what! The Dems don’t think it needs any fixing. Bush has said if anyone doesn’t like his idea he is willing to listen to other ideas, and obviously, no one has a better idea. See? Politics!! Bah Humbug!
Zach Says: June 10th, 2005 at 5:18 am
It’s totally funny how you conservatives are narrow minded. If Bush is religious, good for him. No one EVER had a problem with him being religious. The problem is that his religion is what is running the White House. This is not a theocracy. Also, the Democrats actually have come up with ideas to fix Social Security, they DO know it needs attention some time – BUT, there are many larger problems that are being ignored. Medicare is in MUCH worse shape, our deficit is enormous, and Bush is cutting taxes during a war that was based on lies and deception.
Mathew Says: December 3rd, 2005 at 9:03 pm
It’s poor politics when you have to resort to bringing “God on your side” in the political arena. I’ll make a poor joke to make a great point:
“Show me a conservative who can criticize Bush, and NOT bring God into the debate, and I’ll find you some weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.” –Mathew
Mathew Says: December 3rd, 2005 at 9:26 pm
I saw some other comments so I’ll give some fast responses on a few that caught my attention.
1. Democrats are looked at as “complainers” or “Bush Criticizers” sometimes. If Bush wasn’t making so many mistakes, we’d have nothing to criticize him for. I’ll be fair. Bush did good on 911, and approved some AIDS research funding. That’s about it. He blew Katrina–that was pure undeniable reponsibility. And how can I say that? Well, I’m not the presdient, but as an “average joe” I would not sit on my laurels for three days before acting if a Hurricane was wiping out a portion of the southern coast of my country in multiple states.
I can appreciate the fact that Republicans get mad at democrats for criticizing Bush, but I would ask the Republicans to examine WHAT is being criticized, and not who is the one criticizing. If John Kerry screwed up Katrina (assuming he was in the big chair) I’d say the exact same thing about him.
2. Tone down the rederick. People on both sides of the aisle are idiots at times. Comments above written by someone like “You made the typical liberal move when you failed to support…” is just out of line. There are idiots in both parties. My advice is to argue policy, not insults.
Now I’ll get to some hot potatoes…
3. Iraq was the wrong war for the wrong reasons. Kerry said it best, and I do not care if you like/hate him, or voted/did not vote for him. His views are the most accurate in terms of leadership or potential leadership. Here’s why:
If you as a President feel a leader of another nation, let’s say Iraq, is a threat to US Security, that’s fine. Then present THAT argument and have it. Don’t lie about weapons, or whatever else you can come with. Go at it with an honest intent. “We as an administration feel this man is a threat to world security, and we would like a united coalition to take immediate (in the world of politics) action.” Because if you lie about intent, you shoot yourself in the foot. Now let’s go there on Hussein.
Was he a threat? No. This is the part where Republicans typically cry out “but he’s killing his people?” That may be true, and I am not minimizing that contention. But the contention of DICTATORSHIP is not a contention for THREAT TO THE USA. Those two points don’t connect. If the USA wants to have the debate/argument of stopping dictators in other countries–then HAVE IT. I am not viewing my opinion at this time on nation-building and taking out dictators, but what I will say is that if you WANT to address dictatorships around the world as an administration, then address them. But have an honest argument. Address them all. Don’t point to Iraq and act like it’s the only place on Earth it’s happening.
This is why I have a problem with Republicans defending Iraq so much right now. They were against Clinton’s move to stop ethnic cleansing overseas, but are for George Bush’s efforts today–when the argument boils down to dictatorship, not weapons.
That’s it for now. –Mathew
nemoforone Says: April 2nd, 2007 at 11:27 pm
What about the possibility of pulling out of Iraq, letting Iran invade and lose resources fighting their own kind,
and then come in and mop up the dregs?