President Bush’s Address

I’m sorry, but it has to be said … and I have to start here …

President Bush can’t speak.  The way he broke his sentences, I often had the impression that he was reading off 3×5 cards and had to pause as he flipped from one card to the next, then straightened the cards again before moving on. Having said that, I think that last night’s was one of his better addresses.

On to the substance of the address …

To be honest, I think that Bush is finally acknowledging that diplomacy and leadership skills are what is needed now. That has been sorely overlooked in his previous discussions of the war.

This is also an important point in time, in that we have direct and real input from the people on the ground. General Petraeus  has given testimony about what is happening in Iraq from his point of view, and based on his own observations.

Ultimately, though, I think that the most important part of Pres. Bush’s address was:

“Now the Iraqi government must bring the same determination to achieving reconciliation. This is an enormous undertaking after more than three decades of tyranny and division. The government has not met its own legislative benchmarks — and in my meetings with Iraqi leaders, I have made it clear that they must.”

He’s right. The military has won the war. The problem now is security, which is a different issue entirely. Moreover, it is one that requires not only a home-grown domestic solution, but political leadership more than military might. Frankly, this is something that the President has been slow to notice. However, he seems to have picked up on it now.

I am pleased to hear the President offering some clear sense that he has a plan to move forward. This wasn’t empty rhetoric, and it wasn’t simply reciting “victory” or “stay the course” as some of his other comments have been. This was solid, this was substantive, and I think that this indicates that he sees what is going on and what to do about it.

His fervent critics, of course, will simply remain his critics. That’s life.

His dearest fans, of course, simply love everything he says. That’s also life.

Looking at it with some scrutiny, I think that this is something different and long overdue. It is no less welcome for the time it took to come.

I considered adding a bit about some of the attacks on General Petraeus, but ultimately decided not to dignify them with a response.

Mike Huckabee’s Response to the President’s Address

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, September 13, 2007

NEWS RELEASE

Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee Comments on the Presidential  Address to the Nation

Davenport, IA – Former Arkansas Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee issued the following comment in response to President Bush’s address to the nation:  “I agree with the President and his decision to accept the recommendations of General Petraeus.  During his speech, the President gave an honest assessment of the status of the war in Iraq : while the challenges remain formidable, the surge is working and there’s been significant progress – particularly in Anbar province.  “The current policy of providing security and stability has to be carried out.  We can’t walk away and not honor those who are serving our country.  If we leave now, it will show weakness, which would do irreparable damage to  America ’s reputation and ability to protect our national interests, as well as create chaos and massive suffering in the region. “The war we are fighting in the Middle East is a theological war.  It is not a traditional geo-political war; it is a war against against Islamic fanatics who want to destroy us.  It is a test of will and purpose. “The question is, do we have the will to fight the enemy and take the fight to them or will they prevail?  For the sake of future generations of Americans, this is a war we must win. We must give our commanders and troops what they need to succeed.”

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My own response will be forthcoming … maybe later this afternoon.

The GOP, Mike Huckabee, and Me

It might come as a shock to some that I am not, right now, a Republican.

I eagerly registered as a Republican days after my 18th birthday, though I only remained so for about three years. In January of 1995, I left the GOP. I was bitter and angry at the party I had been eager to join since I was about 12.

However, the 1994 elections were a challenge for me. I had worked with my College Republicans group in North Carolina to help the David Funderburk campaign (one of the famed 1994 “House freshmen”). He was a great guy, and I still cherish the memory of working with and for him.

We had banners up at the time reading “Character Counts.” More than the Contract for America, “Character Counts” was what excited me about the 1994 campaigns. In 1992, we had elected as President a guy whose character left a lot to be desired, shall we say. I was excited to be part of turning that decision around.

Then, we won. And then the Republicans started filling Congressional offices. Newt Gingrich was elected Speaker … when his character left almost as much to be desired as the President’s. Bob Packwood was named chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, while in the process of obstructing an Ethics Committee investigation that later led to his departure from the Senate. And Jesse Helms was made chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Helms, for those who don’t know, still referred to those with black skin as “Nee-gris” (to try to get the pronunciation right). Supposedly, this was “Negro.” Knowing that Helms was a rabid segregationist right up until the last, I rather suspect that he was going for something else.

I had written about Robert Byrd, a senior Democratic leader, as proof of how the Democratic Party doesn’t care about character. I found that impossible to reconcile with the presence of Jesse Helms in a powerful office.

I quit the party. I have been, ever since, an independent. In New Hampshire, that means I can vote in any primary I choose, and retain my independent registration.

This year, though, I might rejoin the Republican Party. Governor Mike Huckabee is the kind of person I’ve always wanted to vote for — good character, wonderful principles, and every bit as intelligent as I’d like. Just as Gingrich, Packwood, and Helms drove me out of the Republican Party, someone like Mike Huckabee might be able to draw me back. That is no small feat, but that should only testify to how much respect and admiration I have for this man.

For what it’s worth … what I’m saying is that Mike Huckabee has the unqualified endorsement of the True Believer blog and its author.