Ah, finally the world is brighter
by Charlie Reese
(published 1/28/01)

The air smells sweeter. Food tastes better. There is once more a spring in my step. What happened? The inauguration of George W. Bush and the departure of Bill Clinton and his sleazy band of incompetents.

I freely confess that watching the changeover made me a little weepy, to use Bush's word. I usually get that way when good triumphs over evil. And that is certainly the case. Some folks will never get it, but I believe that more and more Americans will come to realize in retrospect what a corrupting influence the Clinton administration was. 

It conducted a campaign to dumb down people morally. It conditioned people to accept ever-lower standards of behavior. It was a sewer of lies, immoral and unethical behavior, lack of patriotism, vicious character assassination, ever-present spinning, law-breaking and arrogance.

It was all driven by this sociopathic man from Arkansas with his lunatic grin, lack of conscience and giant ego. That some people continue to be taken in by this character does not portend well for the future.

I don't wish to burden the new president with sainthood, but people will find that he is a good man with a good heart. They will find that he is honest. They will find that they can count on his word. They will find that once more they will have a president who won't be an embarrassment and a terrible example for children and adults alike. They will find that they have a president who is genuinely patriotic, spiritual and moral.

As for Bush's intelligence, he's much smarter than his critics. People should bear in mind that, in the scheme of things, journalists and late-night comedians tend to be people of lesser intelligence and few worthwhile accomplishments. It ill behooves people so far from matching George W. Bush's educational credentials and record of accomplishments to look down their noses at the new president.

Small-minded people of small accomplishments often like to throw mud at their betters, but it is a disgusting spectacle. Journalists and comedians made the same mistake with Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan. I'm not suggesting that we will agree with all of Bush's policies and decisions. That isn't necessary. What is necessary is to have a leader with integrity. Bush will win the cooperation of some Democrats because they will learn that the new president is not a liar, not a man who will hog the credit and shift the blame, and not a man who will be playing gotcha games.

I sincerely believe that our country has been given a second chance -- a second chance to avoid the degradation and chaos toward which it was certainly heading. The question is, are we, as a people, worthy of this second chance? Can we accept President Bush's challenge to put responsibility and compassion ahead of materialism and personal ambition? Can we indeed return to civility, courage and character?

Not if people continue to be addicts of the entertainment industry, which so warmly embraced Clinton and so accurately reflects his immorality, cynicism and nihilism. And certainly the extreme left will not. It will continue its rule-or-ruin, lie-and-spin style of politics as befits the neo-totalitarians they really are.

What will be revealing is how clearly having an honest, decent man in the White House will force members of Congress in both parties to reveal their own true selves. They will no longer be able to hide behind partisanship, because Bush isn't going to play the partisan game.

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