Thank You, President Bush

Thank you, President Bush, for keeping America safe. Thank you for protecting our families when terrorism struck on 9/11, when you vowed to keep American citizens safe. You kept your promise, and you honored us by your calm and steady leadership during the storm. You have laughed with us, cried with us, and carried the burden of the country on your shoulders the past eight years. We will be forever grateful.

Our prayers and best wishes go with you as you return to life as a private citizen. Godspeed, Mr. President.

"Bush showed U.S. no paper tiger" ... SFGate.com

[It is good to have people like Ms. Saunders and the caller to Rush's Monday radio program publicly showing support for President Bush.]

From SFGate.com (San Francisco Chronicle)
By Debra J. Saunders

From the day President Bush took office, the long knives were out for him - in ways they will not (and should not) be out for President-elect Barack Obama. The chattering class saw Dubya as a walking style crime in a cowboy suit. They hit Bush for everything - for the way he mangled syntax, for the books he read, because he worked out too much.

Note now that the buff Obama is taking office, stories gushing about Obama's daily workouts flood the channels. Oh, yes, and the same people who belittled Bush for sending troops to war even though he only served in the National Guard somehow do not seem to notice Obama's utter lack of military experience.

To trash Bush was to belong. There was little upside in supporting Bush, even if you had supported his agenda.

Most of the Democratic candidates for president in 2004 and 2008 voted for the Patriot Act - and then campaigned against it. They voted for the resolution authorizing U.S. military force in Iraq - then bolted from the war itself. Likewise with No Child Left Behind. Somehow Bush was the guy who looked bad as he withstood the heat, while his caving critics preened.

When the Dems were pushing for a humiliating retreat from Iraq and opinion polls supported troop withdrawal, Bush instead pushed for a troop surge that has made all the difference. Vice President-elect Joe Biden - who voted for the war before he was against it - visited Iraq last week. While there, he promised the Iraqis that America would not withdraw troops in a way that undermines Iraqi security. Yet that was exactly what his party advocated a year ago.

Does Bush get any credit? No, just as he has received little credit for efforts that have prolonged millions of lives, thanks to the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Forget considerable goodwill in India and Africa. His good deeds, you see, don't fit with the prescribed story line that, with Bush in charge, the rest of the world hates us.

Yes, the man also stumbled, and others paid for his mistakes more dearly than he has.

Under Bush's watch, Osama bin Laden evaded capture.

Worse, Bush's slowness in changing strategies in Iraq suggested a presidency in a fetal position when Bush should have been managing the store and demanding results.

Weapons of mass destruction? The CIA believed Saddam Hussein had them. So did Hussein's lieutenants. I did, too. The conventional wisdom was wrong, but Bush can take comfort in the knowledge that without his efforts, Hussein almost certainly would have outlasted U.N. sanctions, armed himself to the hilt and wreaked unknown havoc in and beyond Iraq.

There is no comfort - there is no upside - to be had in the $810 billion Bush bailout. The Bush administration should have been on alert to contain the damage from the housing-price drop and mortgage foreclosures; instead, it allowed the credit crunch to reach a tipping point and roll over the U.S. economy. It was so avoidable. It was like the Katrina trailers all over again - except this preventable and unnatural disaster left toxic trailers strewn across America.

There's an out-to-lunch sloppiness to the whole mess. It feels as if the barrage of criticism made the Bush engine seize up and stop running the business of the nation.

America's first MBA president turned out to be a poor administrator, more interested in ideas than making the machinery work. He was good at fighting - and winning - ideological battles in Congress, but he never demonstrated a commitment to making his own administration deliver as promised. In putting loyalty at a premium, he overlooked incompetence.

How will history judge Bush?

Osama bin Laden once told Time magazine that the U.S. withdrawal from Somalia after the murder of 18 U.S. troops on a humanitarian mission made him realize "more than before that the American soldier was a paper tiger and after a few blows ran in defeat." Members of al Qaeda have told intelligence officials that they never thought that Washington would respond to the 9/11 attacks as ferociously as Bush responded. They expected a few bombs to be dropped, no boots on the ground, a swift withdrawal if casualties mounted - the usual short-attention span foreign policy that warped Lebanon, the Persian Gulf War, Somalia, the African embassy bombings and the attack on the destroyer Cole.

Bush showed America's enemies a country that does not retreat in fear, does not bomb with impunity, and most important, does not desert civilians or foreign governments that trust us. If you think that doesn't matter, look at Libya, which disarmed its weapons program. And see how much easier Obama's presidency will be, because Bush kept the faith.

Osama bin Laden may live, most likely quivering in a cave. But no one thinks America is a paper tiger anymore.

You can e-mail Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders@sfchronicle.com.

Staunton store window: "Thank You, President Bush"

Update: Vandalism? Poo left at Staunton store with tribute to President Bush

"Thank You, Mr. President"
is seen in Zelma's front window as historic downtown Staunton buildings
are reflected in the background.

This "Win the War" sign has been in the shop window for three years. The owner's husband served a year in Iraq.

Zelma's ... Purveyors of Antiques, Vintage Clothing, Kitsch, and Fun!

Zelma's is your headquarters for Mardi Gras supplies.


Vintage vinyl records....

Zelma's is one of those fun shops in historic downtown Staunton ... but inside is a conservative young lady whose Army National Guard husband spent a year in Iraq ... a young lady who has a tribute in her display window for President George W. Bush thanking him for his leadership the past eight years.

"Win the War," "Support President Bush and the Troops," and photos and newspaper articles adorn the window, recognizing the accomplishments of this President as he has kept America safe from terrorism after the 9/11 attacks.

When you're riding down Beverley Street, watch for the purple storefront and the window that says, "Thank You, Mr. President." And if you agree, honk the horn and let them know or, better still, pop in and tell her thanks.

Photos by SWAC Girl

Vandalism? Poo left at Staunton store with tribute to President Bush

[See original post: Staunton store window: Thank you, President Bush"]

Was it an accident? Or was it intended?

It had not occurred before ... piles of poo left on the sidewalk under Zelma's store window in downtown Staunton -- the window with a tribute thanking President Bush for his leadership. The store owner was out this morning cleaning it up while continuing to leave up the display in the window -- the owner who spent over a year in Iraq fighting to protect us from terrorism here in little ol' Staunton.

Zelma's vintage clothing store ... give 'em a thumbs up for being a conservative beacon in the midst of a mostly liberal town.

Staunton store window: "Thank You, President Bush"

Update: Vandalism? Poo left at Staunton store with tribute to President Bush

"Thank You, Mr. President"
is seen in Zelma's front window as historic downtown Staunton buildings
are reflected in the background.

This "Win the War" sign has been in the shop window for three years. The owner's husband served a year in Iraq.

Zelma's ... Purveyors of Antiques, Vintage Clothing, Kitsch, and Fun!

Zelma's is your headquarters for Mardi Gras supplies.


Vintage vinyl records....

Zelma's is one of those fun shops in historic downtown Staunton ... but inside is a conservative young lady whose Army National Guard husband spent a year in Iraq ... a young lady who has a tribute in her display window for President George W. Bush thanking him for his leadership the past eight years.

"Win the War," "Support President Bush and the Troops," and photos and newspaper articles adorn the window, recognizing the accomplishments of this President as he has kept America safe from terrorism after the 9/11 attacks.

When you're riding down Beverley Street, watch for the purple storefront and the window that says, "Thank You, Mr. President." And if you agree, honk the horn and let them know or, better still, pop in and tell her thanks.

Photos by SWAC Girl

Give me a break

Lib blogger's headline:

"Obama's Duty To Prosecute Bush For War Crimes."

What part of ...

NO BOMBS dropping on your head

... do these people not understand?

We have been safe since 9/11. Known and unknown plots against this nation have been foiled since 9/11. War has been kept on foreign shores and not on our own since 9/11.

Talk about ungrateful....

The Bush Record ... did you know?

* 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was captured and is in custody.
* Iraqi forces have taken over security responsibilities from U.S. forces in more than two thirds of Iraqi provinces and helped reduce attacks to the lowest level in more than four years.
* More than six million children now attend Afghan schools, compared to fewer than one million in 2001; a third of these are girls who were previously barred from attending school.
* The Afghan economy has doubled since 2001.
* President Bush implemented the largest reorganization of the Federal national security apparatus since 1947.
* More than 400 individuals and entities that posed a threat to America had assets frozen, transactions blocked, or were isolated from the U.S. financial system.
* The increase in defense funding is the largest increase since the Truman Administration.
* Intelligence experts believe the 2006 plot to blow up multiple passenger jets traveling from London was only weeks from being carried out.

The Bush Record

Thank you, President Bush ... liberation of Iraq

“Across the generations we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave. Advancing these ideals is the mission that created our Nation. It is the honorable achievement of our fathers. Now it is the urgent requirement of our Nation’s security, and the calling of our time.”

President George W. Bush
Second Inaugural Address

In Iraq, the United States led a coalition to remove a dictator who murdered his own people, invaded his neighbors, and threatened the United States. Because our coalition acted to remove Saddam Hussein, 25 million Iraqis are free; the Iraqi people have the most progressive constitution in the Arab world; and Iraq has become an ally in the war on terror. With Saddam Hussein gone from power, the coalition’s mission turned to helping the Iraqi people defend their freedom against violent extremists.

When the battle in Iraq reached a pivotal point, the President rejected calls for retreat. Instead, in January 2007, he ordered a new strategy supported by a surge in forces. This historic decision dramatically reduced violence and created the conditions for political and economic progress to take place.

The Bush Record

Open letter: "Thank You President Bush"

How nice to see someone thanking President George W. Bush for his leadership instead of bashing him as we have come to expect over the past eight years. In an open letter of thanks, two radio co-hosts, one Republican and one Democrat, take the time to call attention to the good that has come from our 43rd President's time in office.

The authors of the letter are Perry Atkinson, former chairman of the Oregon Republican Party and a member of United Christian Broadcasters International, and Bob Just, a longtime Reagan Democrat who collaborated with Sean Hannity on his book "Deliver Us From Evil." Together they co-host a daily radio program at thedove.us in Southern Oregon.

Their letter, published in WorldNetDaily, begins:

As you near the time of your presidential farewell, we want to take this moment to thank you for all you have done for this country. We also want you to know that you are in our prayers not only for the remainder of your term of office, but also for what we hope will be a many wonderful years ahead for you and Mrs. Bush. We know you will both continue to serve the country you love, and we thank you for that in advance.

As you prepare your farewell address, and reflect on the last eight years, we would like to thank you specifically for several things, beginning with your bold leadership in the War on Terror.

Many have now forgotten, but we remember the shock and confusion that descended on this country, not only due to the sudden and terrible loss of innocent American lives, but because none of us understood this new kind of war, or how to fight it, or what catastrophic dangers might lay ahead.

You galvanized the nation not only with stirring and true words before Congress but because you backed those words with decisive action, sending an immediate message to our enemies that while America's free and open society remained vulnerable to attack, the United States had the power and the will to deliver a devastating counterattack.

The remainder of the letter can be found here.

Coulter: "Bush 7, Terrorists 0"

Ann Coulter does it again ... nailing the facts straight out about America under President George W. Bush's leadership and the safety we have enjoyed as a result. She writes:

Morose that there hasn't been another terrorist attack on American soil for seven long years, liberals were ecstatic when Hurricane Gustav was headed toward New Orleans during the Republican National Convention last week. The networks gave the hurricane plenty of breaking-news coverage -- but unfortunately it was Hurricane Katrina from 2005 they were covering.

On Keith Olbermann's Aug. 29 show on MSNBC, Michael Moore said the possibility of a Category 3 hurricane hitting the United States "is proof that there is a God in heaven." Olbermann responded: "A supremely good point."

Actually, Olbermann said that a few minutes later to some other idiotic point Moore had made, but that's how Moore would have edited the interview for one of his "documentaries," so I will, too. I would only add that Michael Moore's morbid obesity is proof that there is a Buddha.

Hurricane Gustav came and went without a hitch. What a difference a Republican governor makes!

As many have pointed out, the reason elected officials tend to neglect infrastructure projects, like reinforcing levees in New Orleans and bridges in Minneapolis, is that there's no glory when a bridge doesn't collapse. There are no round-the-clock news specials when the levees hold. You can't even name an overpass retrofitting project after yourself -- it just looks too silly. But everyone's taxes go up to pay for the reinforcements.

Preventing another terrorist attack is like that. There is no media coverage when another 9/11 doesn't happen. We can thank God that President George Bush didn't care about doing the safe thing for himself; he cared about keeping Americans safe. And he has, for seven years.

If Bush's only concern were about his approval ratings, like a certain impeached president I could name, he would not have fought for the Patriot Act and the war in Iraq. He would not have resisted the howling ninnies demanding that we withdraw from Iraq, year after year. By liberals' own standard, Bush's war on terrorism has been a smashing, unimaginable success.

A year after the 9/11 attack, The New York Times' Frank Rich was carping about Bush's national security plans, saying we could judge Bush's war on terror by whether there was a major al-Qaida attack in 2003, which -- according to Rich -- would have been on al-Qaida's normal schedule.

Rich wrote: "Since major al-Qaida attacks are planned well in advance and have historically been separated by intervals of 12 to 24 months, we will find out how much we've been distracted soon enough." ("Never Forget What?" New York Times, Sept. 14, 2002.)

There wasn't a major al-Qaida attack in 2003. Nor in 2004, 2005, 2006 or 2007. Manifestly, liberals thought there would be: They announced a standard of success that they expected Bush to fail.

As Bush has said, we have to be right 100 percent of the time, the terrorists only have to be right one time. Bush has been right 100 percent of the time for seven years -- so much so that Americans have completely forgotten about the threat of Islamic terrorism.

For his thanks, President Bush has been the target of almost unimaginable calumnies -- the sort of invective liberals usually reserve for seniors who don't separate their recyclables properly. Compared to liberals' anger at Bush, there has always been something vaguely impersonal about their "anger" toward the terrorists.

By my count, roughly one in four books in print in the world at this very moment have the words "Bush" and "Lie" in their title. Barnes & Noble has been forced to add an "I Hate Bush" section. I don't believe there are as many anti-Hitler books.

Read the entire column here. Thank you, President Bush. You will go down as one of the greatest presidents in history.

H/T GOP Girl

Thank You, President Bush....

Thank You, President Bush....

BREAKING NEWS ... President Bush makes unprecedented 3rd visit to Iraq!

"Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward, and freedom will be defended." -- President George W. Bush, 9/11/01

Today's surprise visit by President George W. Bush to Iraq marked an unprecedented third trip into a war zone, something never done by any previous President.

President Bush's first visit to Iraq was a surprise visit on November 28, 2003 -- Thanksgiving -- when America and the world awakened to see news reports showing their President in Iraq spending Thanksgiving with American troops. It was a dangerous journey into war-torn Baghdad that boosted morale with the troops and on the homefront.

President Bush's second visit to Iraq was another surprise visit on June 13, 2006, when he flew in to publicly show support for the newly elected Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki. He once again flew into Baghdad and visited with American troops.

Today President Bush made a third visit to Iraq, a surprise trip to Anbar Province which had formerly been war-torn and thought to be a loss until American Marines went in and, working with the local people, tamped down violenc.

This is something I would like to hear the mainstream media extol. This President not only had 9/11 happen on his watch but, because of it, he promised to protect the American people. For six years we have not had any attacks on our soil. For six years we have not had terrorists flying airplanes into buildings or dropping bombs on American soil. President Bush has kept his word to the American people.

A little gratitude is due from the mainstream media and the liberal democrats who cannot set their partisan politics aside long enough to give credit where credit is due.

Thank you, President Bush, for your leadership. We still remember your words after the terrorifying attacks of 9/11 when over 3,000 innocent people were killed by Muslim terrorists:

"I will not forget the wound to our country and those who inflicted it. I will not yield, I will not rest, I will not relent in waging this struggle for freedom and security for the American people." -- President George W. Bush after 9/11/01