Watching President Bush Leave

I have to admit it, I got a lump in my throat as I watched him wave and board the helicopter. I've done plenty of blogging about his decisions. Clearly, I wasn't a big fan of his policies and the decisions he made, but he is a man, an American man that obviously did the best he knew how to do. I don't know who he was listening to and who influenced him, but I never saw him as the one truly making the decisions. Oh, I know, he said he was the decider, and I don't think it was Laura, but he didn't come across as the one making the decisions. I don't think future generations will remember the Iraq war and Homeland Security with thankfulness, as Dr. Rice indicated, and the deficit is outrageous, but I do think history will remember kindly, his "personableness." I read about how he felt when his little sister died and how he wanted to help his mom be not so sad. I remember watching Bush 41 and just knowing that man insisted upon a demanding standard for others. Truth be told, I think if George W. Bush hadn't had the neo-con machine behind him, I think he would have made decisions more compatible with mainstream America and not been so aggressive in his thinking. He didn't strike me as a man that could truly have the heart of a neo-con, as I thought George W. Bush, had it in him to be nice. His politics didn't always seem to demonstrate "good sportsmanship," but he could take the ribbing and keep on going. I always loved reading about the press dinner. The guy should have been in stand-up. As I watched him board the copter, something occurred to me. He truly was the embodiment of much of America, but it's the America we don't like to see ourselves as being. He was a baby boomer that was born into a wealthy family. He had privilege, but not respect. He had opportunities but wasn't terribly successful. He had connections, but I'm not so sure about actual friends. He's one of those guys that gives everyone a nickname and I've always thought he'd be the best guest at the barbecue in the cul de sac. I don't like what's happened to our country, but in my research, it's been a long slow decline that has been in the works for longer than our country has even been a sovereign nation. I just wish he'd realized that before he made some of the decisions he did. I didn't like his politics, I don't like living with some of his decisions, I didn't appreciate his doctrine, but I do think he's a funny guy. I bet Laura never has a dull moment!
To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men. New Testament