January 20, 2009

Inauguration Day Posting

It only seems appropriate on this day that I wish Mr. Obama, today to become President Obama, a presidency ripe with the fruits of love, justice, wisdom, shrewdness, and strength used rightly and well. I do not agree with many of his political positions, but as I have written before, that only means that I, as one of the people represented by our representative government, must maintain my involvement of the political process, and vigilant watch upon the government to be certain that it does not overstep its bounds.

Also on this day, I would like to thank Mr. Obama for agreeing to serve our country in this way. It is a grave responsibility, and it demands a high cost from all those who accept it. A president is faced with decisions and stresses and criticism from all sides, and in many cases a president cannot know if his decisions were correct until decades have passed. For that reason, I express gratitude to Mr. Obama for agreeing to accept this weighty task.

On that note, I'd like to thank President Bush for his eight years of service to our nation. He has certainly faced all of the above. For continuing to do his job with professionalism and commitment, I am certainly grateful.

I'd also like to thank President Bush for his tireless work, and for his encouragement in one of our nation's darkest moments - 9/11. I thank you, Pres. Bush, for offering us encouragement from your faith in God. Thank you for standing firm against terrorism all over the globe, and making the hard decisions about how to fight it. Thank you for reducing our taxes. Thank you for appointing men of wisdom and integrity as our highest judges.

We all recognize that not everything was perfect, that many things could have been done better. Yet still, we thank you for the policies you set. Two nations, Afghanistan and Iraq, which were under the dark grip of tyranny, are today free thanks to the decisions you made, and the work you ordered. We all knew the price and agreed to it, and your leadership was an integral part in carrying out the mission. The path is hard, but the end is closer than ever before. For setting us on the path, for guiding us on the way to liberating others, even at the cost of enduring insults, ridicule, and bruises, we thank you, Pres. Bush.

Finally, I would like to wish Pres. Bush and his wife and all his family, a long and happy life, and a well-deserved rest from the cares of our nation. Well done, Mr. President, and thank you for serving our nation, Mr. Bush.