“I’ve often spoken to you about good and evil, and this has made some uncomfortable. But good and evil are present in this world, and between the two of them there can be no compromise.” -President George W. Bush, January 15, 2009
Tomorrow, we witness the departure of moral clarity. We bid farewell to a Commander-in-Chief that was not afraid to seperate good from evil and right from wrong. America will welcome the open-ended haze of buzz words meant only for Hallmark cards and elementary school self-esteem classes. We will miss the distinctions made between freedom and tyranny as we walk the shaky ground of “hope” and “change.” We will miss the the unconditional love for America, the unreserved support for our troops, and most of all, the unwavering definition of life as the new guy struggles to cope with a definition he views as “above his pay grade.”
Hope’s true strength is drawn from firm principles, not a big government program. Change is believable only when it is attached to something meaningful. Crowds can chant “yes, we can,” all day long, but soon they will ask themselves, “what is it exactly that we can do?” Buzz words, we shall learn, wear thin during uncertain times.
Bush was certain about what was right and wrong, good and evil, and who was with us or against us. It was a firm worldview in a world that demanded weakness. Bush truly had a “charge to keep,” and he kept that charge, even at the cost of his popularity. We won’t have leadership, or character, like that in the White House for at least four years.
Obama will keep us happy. Bush kept us safe, but we were afraid to admit that safety made us happier than anything.
Thank You.
