An Aside

I'm interrupting my current topic of "Bush Lied, Kids Died" to comment on President Bush's speech last night and his press conference this morning.

A lot of people immediately assume that because I'm a Republican and because I voted for George W. Bush in the last two presidential elections, I support everything he does.

That is not true.

They also think that because I voted for George W. Bush, he is my "dream candidate".

That is also not true.

I do not support everything President Bush says and does. He is not my "perfect President".

I voted for George W. Bush because he was the better of the two presidential candidates. That was true in 2000 when he ran against Al Gore and again in 2004 when he ran against John Kerry.

- Do I wish he was a better public speaker?

You bet.

Sometimes, it is agonizing to hear him speak. He is not a gifted orator. Words do not come easily to him. I constantly wish he was as gifted a public speaker as Ronald Reagan or Bill Clinton.

- Do I think his lack of skill in public speaking reveals a lack of intelligence?

No. I know many, many people who are extremely smart but cannot speak or write worth a damn.

- Do I wish he came across as smarter and more intelligent?

Of course.

But I will take George W. Bush's candor and determination over somebody else who can talk up a storm, but whose opinions change with the weather.

I liked his speech last night. I think he said things that needed to be said. A couple of statements stood out:

1) "We do not create terrorism by fighting the terrorists. We invite terrorism by ignoring them."

2) "...there is a difference between honest critics who recognize what is wrong, and defeatists who refuse to see that anything is right."

Here is a link to the entire transcript of the speech:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051218-2.html