Miss Him Yet?
Bill McGurn ·
Sep 14, 2010 at 8:07am
Nine years ago today, President Bush stood atop the rubble of the Twin Towers next to a fireman and sent a message to our enemies. Totally unscripted. Eric Draper, a former White House colleague of mine, took the famous photograph. Keith Hennessey, another former colleague, has a post on his blog today featuring first-person accounts of the back stories from the people who were with the President that historic day. See for yourself here.
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Jun '10
Re: Miss Him Yet?
From the blog post: After helping the president onto the truck, Beckwith begins to crawl down, but Bush stops him. “He says, ‘Where are you going?’ I said, ‘Uh, I was told to get down.’ He said, ‘No, no, you stay right here.’ “ “Do you remember the TIME magazine where the president is holding up the flag? He wanted me to have that flag. I still have it,” Beckwith told CNN.
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Who knew, that Presidents being in love with America (as it is,) would be an antiquated quality that we'd miss someday? We thought it just went with the job. Not anymore I guess.
Jun '10
Re: Miss Him Yet?
I replay that moment every year. The moment the President went "off script" to send the message to our enemies was the moment he won my confidence. Giuliani had been the visible leader in the rubble, but at that moment the President clearly assumed the leadership mantle.
Whatever else is said about his policies, etc., that moment made it clear that we had a Commander in Chief who understood what it meant.
Jul '10
Re: Miss Him Yet?
No, I don't miss George Bush.
Somehow, that inspirational bullhorn moment is drowned out in my memory by his signature of McCain/Feingold; his foolish embrace of Teddy Kennedy, his cave-in on Medicare Part D; Dubai Ports, Harriet Miers; Alberto Gonzalez; comprehensive immigration reform; nation-building fantasies in Iraq and Afghanistan.
And spending. Always spending.
The best I can say of him is that he is a decent man who loves his country.
And that he isn't John Kerry.
Or Al Gore.
May '10
Re: Miss Him Yet?
Bush was a mixed bag, but certainly a great leader in some respects.
Aug '10
Re: Miss Him Yet?
It'd be kicking a dog when he's down, but:
Watch that video of Bush at Ground Zero. Then try watching the best 2 minutes of Obama's recent "end of war" speech from the Oval Office.
Remind me again: which one was supposed to be the charismatic, well-spoken, articulate communicator?
Jun '10
Re: Miss Him Yet?
Miss him yet? No. I saw a picture of Bin Laden with the caption "I'm still free, are you?" the other day and all I could think of was the PATRIOT Act, TSA, and all the other ridiculous, useless, expensive, dangerous, and apparently permanent limits on my rights and freedoms that man push through and every other politician seems intent on expanding.
Sep '10
Re: Miss Him Yet?
The "bullhorn moment" was truly inspiring. But, for me, the Shining Moment came seven weeks later.
October 30, 2001. Yankee Stadium. World Series. Game 3.
The stadium erupts with thunderous cheers as President Bush emerges from the dugout and walks to the pitcher's mound. With a quiet smile of confidence, he acknowledges the crowd and gives them a simple thumbs-up, as if to say: "We're gonna be okay, folks." Then he fires off a perfect strike to home plate.
I'm a pretty hardnosed guy, but that brought a tear to my eye. At that moment, George W. Bush was the very definition of a Real Leader.
Do I miss him? Hell, yeah. The current guy in the White House can't even get the ball to home plate.
Edited on Sep 14, 2010 at 2:56pmMay '10
Re: Miss Him Yet?
What? He wasn't using a teleprompter?
May '10
Re: Miss Him Yet?
Kenneth, you are dead wrong on most counts.
Kenneth: No, I don't miss George Bush.
1) his signature of McCain/Feingold;an error, I agree- bamboozled by JP Stevens
2) his foolish embrace of Teddy Kennedy- since when is genuine personal graciousness a flaw?
3) his cave-in on Medicare Part D;- you should be so lucky as to have ObamaCare so well put together; this was a triumph of smart politics, preventing worse alternatives (see Keith Hennessy)
4) Dubai Ports,- do your homework- this was perfectly OK
5) Harriet Miers; - the second error, he listened and corrected
6) Alberto Gonzalez;- a decent man, in over his head, replaced by a very good man
7) comprehensive immigration reform;- he listened and got it right when it counted, once again
8) nation-building fantasies in Iraq and Afghanistan. - a noble pursuit
9) And spending. Always spending. - that's Congress, and like Reagan, you have to prioritize for the most important objective
The best I can say of him is that he is a decent man who loves his country.
And that he isn't John Kerry.
Or Al Gore. · Sep 14 at 9:31am
Re: Miss Him Yet?
Goodness, I didn't mean to set off a war on the Bush record. On 9/11, I was going into work across the street from the Towers when the planes struck. I watched the first one go down and couldn't believe it. I decided to get on the train back to my home in New Jersey (at the Hoboken station right across the Hudson), and as it pulled away someone said, "the second tower is down." It put me in the mind of Augustine, hearing that Rome had been sacked.
On arrival home I looked at the sky and wondered what this meant for my children: would our water be poisoned? would there be a follow up attack? what comes next? In the next days, we prayed and waited -- vainly -- for news that three dads in our school who hadn't come home would be found alive. That was the context I remember when Bush stood up on that pile of rubble and promised that the people who knocked those towers down would hear the American people. And it was something we needed to hear by a man who meant it.
Jun '10
Re: Miss Him Yet?
Mr. McGurn, it simply goes to show that we are still in a period in which one cannot even mention the name of a national figure (could be anyone) - even anecdotally - without people feeling the need to present their entire argument, thesis or judgment of said figure. It's not just Bush, although he is quite the common example.
Your post was not about Bush's policies. It was about Bush the man - and leader in a time of crisis - rising to the moment. And I for one appreciated the recollection.
Not every mention of Bush should have to be burdened with debate or discourse on his policies - unless that is the point of the post or discussion of course, whereby it's free game. Sometimes, we need to appreciate a moment for what it is. Some will treasure it, others may not. That's up to them. But Bush and the bullhorn have nothing to do with policy. And while I love the give and take and the tangents we take here on Ricochet, this is one instance where I wish we could have stayed on topic. But that's okay. I still appreciate the post and the comments.
May '10
Re: Miss Him Yet?
Sorry, guys- but every time I see "No, I don't miss George Bush", I am going to react. GWB is #2 behind Reagan as a conservative leader over the last 100 years of presidents. Jay Nordlinger has said over and over how improperly unappreciated W is by his own ideological allies. I agree.