|
Three Reasons Why
President Bush is the Man of the Hour
FEBRUARY 3, 2004
By
GREGORY J. RUMMO
WHEN
PRESIDENT BUSH
delivered his State of the Union last month, three major
topics stood out in my mind—the family, homeland
security, and the economy. Clearly, all are interrelated and
interdependent.
The family is the fundamental building block of
society. Those who would dare alter its makeup are guilty of
attempting to undermine the foundations of western
civilization.
God wasted no time introducing the concept of
the family. Coming centuries before the institution of human
government and several millennia before the church, He was
very precise about its nature, saying to the first man and
woman He created: “A man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
President Bush emphasized the importance of the
traditional family, reminding us that a “strong America must
also value the institution of marriage. I believe we should
respect individuals as we take a principled stand for one of
the most fundamental, enduring institutions of our
civilization.”
Dr. James Dobson, president of Focus on the
Family had words of praise for the president’s stand: “I am
immensely encouraged by President Bush’s unequivocal support
for the sanctity of marriage. The President believes, as
does the overwhelming majority of Americans, that marriage
is the exclusive union of one man and one woman.”
The president also addressed the other great
threat to western civilization—terrorism, stating the
government’s “greatest responsibility…[was] the active
defense of the American people.”
“Twenty-eight months have passed since September
11th, 2001—over two years without an attack on American
soil. And it is tempting to believe that the danger is
behind us. That hope is understandable, comforting—and
false.”
9-11 was the defining moment in the 21st-century.
It subsequently shaped world events and our view of them. It
has become the driving force behind our politics, most
notably the Democrat’s ambition to oust President Bush from
the White House in 2004.
9/11 has become the determiner of the US’s
foreign policy. Its memory lingers, stoking our fears,
blurring our dreams and leaving us to wonder about our
future.
Is America really safer now than it was under
Bill Clinton? That depends on what the meaning of the word
“safer” is. Clinton failed to confront evil and perhaps we
‘felt’ safer because we were ignorant of the cancer that
silently raged half a world away.
But in 2000, this country decided it needed a
second opinion. Dr. Bush’s scalpel has been sharper than
some would prefer but the disease has been exposed and
unfortunately has spread farther than we ever imagined. To
end the treatment now would almost certainly spell death for
the patient.
The president also spoke about our economy. “In
the last three years, adversity has also revealed the
fundamental strengths of the American economy. We have come
through recession, and terrorist attack, and corporate
scandals, and the uncertainties of war. And because you
acted to stimulate our economy with tax relief, this economy
is strong, and growing stronger.”
Bush inherited an economy teetering on the brink
of a recession. After two declining quarters of productivity
in late 2000, the first quarter of his presidency saw GDP
turn negative, hardly the fault of a man who had only been
inaugurated 2-1/2 months earlier. Two quarters later came
the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
That the economy only experienced a mild
recession and nothing worse has been the real miracle.
America has much to be thankful for at such a
time in her history that she has a man of God at the helm.
Solomon would remind us: “Righteousness exalts a nation.” n
Gregory J. Rummo is a
syndicated columnist. Read all of his columns on his homepage,
www.GregRummo.com. E-Mail Rummo at [email protected]
|
