The Redemption of George W. Bush
A short photo animation has been going around the internet, accompied to the tune of Johnny Cash's When the Man Comes Around. This animation is eirely appropriate, and seems to match the situation in full. It just seems appropriate. Why? Let us look at what Dean Esmay said of President Bush:
Perhaps it is all about George W. Bush. George W. Bush the frat boy, George W. Bush the alcoholic, George W. Bush the perrenial loser. Most of George W. Bush's life was a waste. His college scores, his DUI, all those mistakes show this. The sole exception, ironically, is his national guard service. That service which the Democrats attacked to such an extent they were willing to rely on falsified documents. It appears that there, of all places, that Geroge W. Bush found a place where he fit in. It was as a pilot, a place where he made decisions that would determine if he, and sometimes others, would live or die, that is where he seemed become something more. The challenge seemed to give him a drive which he otherwise lacked. George W. Bush became another person when he flew, his spirit finally seemed to be at piece. After leaving the guard he reverted to his former self. Why? There was no challenge. Some people only live truly as themselves when they are challenged. George W. Bush is one such person. He was lost, and could not be found, by others. He stayed lost for many years. Until he found himself. He would say that he merely found G-d, but it is not so simple as that. In Christianity, true Christianity, (as compared to the watered down versions you will find among liberal churches and in Europe) George W. Bush found a challenge that he had been lacking since his national guard service. I say true Christianity because true Christianity is the greatest challenge a man or woman will find in this life. The demands are greater than you will find of any secular source, and the rewards are ethereal. "The path less traveled" wasn't just a figure of speech. Its truly the ultimate challenge. And this challenge is the reason why George W. Bush is a different man than he was twenty years ago. He found within himself what others have called "the spark of the divine." His outlook towards the world changed, and he became more willing to accept authority, to seek challenges. He ran for governor of Texas, and won. He was reelected. He ran for President, and was elected, though barely.
Then came 9/11. Suddenly, years, decades of fog lifted before the eyes of George W. Bush. The uncertainty of his place in the world was gone immediately. Now he had a job to do, he had his own personal mission in life. When he realized that lack of democracy was the reason for the terrorism problem, he knew what he had to do: Bring democracy to every corner of the world. His religious beliefs told him to spread the Gospel to all corners of the world. To George W. Bush, there is no difference between those two commands. George W. Bush faces the challenge of a lifetime, the challenge of many lifetimes. In order to do what he knows is right, he must make hard decisions. He must send people to their deaths. He will divide the country. He will face ridicule, hatred, threats against his life. Failure will be heaped upon him, while success go unrecognized.
The Tempter comes for us all. With what does he tempt George W. Bush? Mediocrity. Bush is offered what Kerry is advocating, a return to normality, a return to the status quo. Bush didn't have to go after Iraq. He could have stopped after freeing Afghanistan. He could have left it at that, and this election would likely be going very well for him. The mission of spreading democracy could have been abandonned, left for another. Yet in his heart, this is not right, and Bush knows it. Everything worth doing is always hard, will always try your patience and your will. The aftermath of 9/11 is George W. Bush's test. His chance to prove himself worthy, to himself, and to his G-d. To atone for all of his past actions, to demonstrate that he has borne up the cross and followed the narrow path.
We Humans are creatures of hubris. We automatically assumed that the War on Terror was a war against Islamic Radicals. And thats all. Yet it might be about something else, something completely different, and yet inextricably linked to our perceptions.
All of this might be merely the chance for George W. Bush to achieve Redemption, and to save his soul.
Dean here makes a mistake that is common to mankind, and shouldn't be held against him. He thinks "it" is all about him. When he talks of embarassment, what he really means is that Bush embarasses him at times. When Dean talks of glibness, he refers to the fact that Bush frustrates him because locution isn't one of his skills. In a way its all about Dean. But is that truly the case? Might it in fact be the exact opposite?I have a flawed and imperfect hero.
He's often a mess, and anyone who looks at him knows that at times he is an embarassment. Why can't he be more glib?
Perhaps it is all about George W. Bush. George W. Bush the frat boy, George W. Bush the alcoholic, George W. Bush the perrenial loser. Most of George W. Bush's life was a waste. His college scores, his DUI, all those mistakes show this. The sole exception, ironically, is his national guard service. That service which the Democrats attacked to such an extent they were willing to rely on falsified documents. It appears that there, of all places, that Geroge W. Bush found a place where he fit in. It was as a pilot, a place where he made decisions that would determine if he, and sometimes others, would live or die, that is where he seemed become something more. The challenge seemed to give him a drive which he otherwise lacked. George W. Bush became another person when he flew, his spirit finally seemed to be at piece. After leaving the guard he reverted to his former self. Why? There was no challenge. Some people only live truly as themselves when they are challenged. George W. Bush is one such person. He was lost, and could not be found, by others. He stayed lost for many years. Until he found himself. He would say that he merely found G-d, but it is not so simple as that. In Christianity, true Christianity, (as compared to the watered down versions you will find among liberal churches and in Europe) George W. Bush found a challenge that he had been lacking since his national guard service. I say true Christianity because true Christianity is the greatest challenge a man or woman will find in this life. The demands are greater than you will find of any secular source, and the rewards are ethereal. "The path less traveled" wasn't just a figure of speech. Its truly the ultimate challenge. And this challenge is the reason why George W. Bush is a different man than he was twenty years ago. He found within himself what others have called "the spark of the divine." His outlook towards the world changed, and he became more willing to accept authority, to seek challenges. He ran for governor of Texas, and won. He was reelected. He ran for President, and was elected, though barely.
Then came 9/11. Suddenly, years, decades of fog lifted before the eyes of George W. Bush. The uncertainty of his place in the world was gone immediately. Now he had a job to do, he had his own personal mission in life. When he realized that lack of democracy was the reason for the terrorism problem, he knew what he had to do: Bring democracy to every corner of the world. His religious beliefs told him to spread the Gospel to all corners of the world. To George W. Bush, there is no difference between those two commands. George W. Bush faces the challenge of a lifetime, the challenge of many lifetimes. In order to do what he knows is right, he must make hard decisions. He must send people to their deaths. He will divide the country. He will face ridicule, hatred, threats against his life. Failure will be heaped upon him, while success go unrecognized.
The Tempter comes for us all. With what does he tempt George W. Bush? Mediocrity. Bush is offered what Kerry is advocating, a return to normality, a return to the status quo. Bush didn't have to go after Iraq. He could have stopped after freeing Afghanistan. He could have left it at that, and this election would likely be going very well for him. The mission of spreading democracy could have been abandonned, left for another. Yet in his heart, this is not right, and Bush knows it. Everything worth doing is always hard, will always try your patience and your will. The aftermath of 9/11 is George W. Bush's test. His chance to prove himself worthy, to himself, and to his G-d. To atone for all of his past actions, to demonstrate that he has borne up the cross and followed the narrow path.
We Humans are creatures of hubris. We automatically assumed that the War on Terror was a war against Islamic Radicals. And thats all. Yet it might be about something else, something completely different, and yet inextricably linked to our perceptions.
All of this might be merely the chance for George W. Bush to achieve Redemption, and to save his soul.
<< Home