Today is a landmark day in America. Every 365 days, this day is always a landmark day. Today, I will take part in a service that where God's people will pray for the safety, security, and Spiritual health of our nation. I'm all too glad to do it.
In my absence from blogging, I've had some rough patches, some good times, and I've cried twice, which is two more times than I cried in the past two years - once for an overwhelmingly tender moment with my daughter, once for my deep regret for poorly I've treated my wife lately. That happened Monday. I'm the pastor of a growing church, and I think we're starting to see that the road to effectiveness is much different than we thought. Our church has some real demons, which probably makes it like your church. Over the past week, we've identified some and missed others, but we're growing stronger. In an episode of The Office, Michael talks about a special Japaneese massage that is so painful, it makes some people throw up, but leaves the patient feeling great. We're going through one of those massages.
But, since it's 9/11, I should get back to something that hasn't happened since I last blogged - a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. An Ann Coulter column this morning talked about the effectiveness of President Bush in keeping Americans out of harm's way. Coulter commented that we don't even think about Islamic terrorism too much anymore. Who would have thunk (sic) it on 9/12/01?
President Bush is hated by those in the media because he doesn't care what they think. He doesn't cave in to protesters. He doesn't worry about his reputation. At the end of the Clinton presidency, he pardoned a very shady man by the name of Mark Rich. The left, suddenly aware that Clinton was a shifty guy (where were they during the Ken Starr investigation?) dogged Clinton for the pardon. Clinton said that looking back, he wouldn't have pardoned Rich because it wasn't worth the damage to his reputation. Huh? I promise you, President Bush will say no such thing.
So this is the last 9/11 in the Bush presidency. Things are notably different since the first one. We've won a war in Afghanistan. We've won a war in Iraq and have begun the process of troop withdraw. Terrorist networks are so discombobulated that they are unable to function. Even their fallback plan, which is setting IEDs by the roadside in Iraq, is now doomed to failure. Terrorism has been defeated. This is not to say we can end the fight or stop being vigilant, but we can carry with us the fact that real security is possible.
So Bush is a true national hero. He's hated, he's unpopular, but he's kept us safe. He did everything the left said not to do and it worked like a charm. It was harder than we all thought, but he stayed the course. He's fought two wars against vicious enemies while the majority of his fellow Americans dreamed of publicly spitting in his face.
Mr. President, you probably already know that liberals will write the history books. You will be ballyhooed as an idiot, a clueless dolt, and a worthless warmonger. But sir, I'd like you to know that the fact that Americans are still alive to criticize you is a success on your part, and I'd like to thank you for all that you did for our country. Real Americans will always know that you were truly one of our greatest presidents.
On a side note, my new hero is rising up into the national spotlight. Sarah Palin, you are awesome! You are a godly woman who will help John McCain fight for what we believe in.
