Will, I was recently turned onto your blog by a colleague. Great format and I enjoy the stuff you put out.

I have been long time proponent of the Bush Administration. I still feel a boost in my adrenaline levels during his televised press conferences or appearances. I would consider myself a right-wing, Christian conservative. Certainly there are policies within this Administration that go against the grain of what I believe as fiscal or social conservative but I think it's important for those to consider what we have in this Administration (buyer remorse/regret) and what we could have had via Gore or Kerry (opportunity cost).

Those who do not support the Bush White House will have to divorce themselves from the feelings stirred up when we mention the politics of our current President. Several think tanks and moderate pollsters have published results citing that most of the country would rather have someone like President Bush at the helm versus the other option (Gore or Kerry). I think it was fairly clear closer to the devastating events in 2001 that Bush was our guy.

Today, the country is vastly divided by what was formerly known as the Global War on Terror (http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2007/04/military_gwot_democrats_070403w/) but can you imagine how this country would have responded had Gore, who believes that global warming is more important than fighting terrorism, or Kerry, who has expressed sentiments accusing our soldiers of raping Iraqi women in the dark of night, had been in charge? I think Bush added a steel rod to his backbone when he brought in Tony Snow. Now if he can just keep up and deliver as a strong President his legacy will not soon be forgotten.

Certainly, Bush has his faults. No way do I think that he is the messiah of the GOP but at the time he was the best thing the Republican Party could produce. Gingrich had quickly risen as a stronghold leader within the party in the late to mid-90’s and he too encountered some personal and political obstacles that he could not overcome. Do I regret that Bush is our President? No way. Do I think he’s made mistakes? Of course. Are we better off as a country because he’s our Commander-in-Chief? Definitely. However, I believe with our current class of candidates representing the Grand Ol’ Party (or Gallant Old Party circa 1875) we are in driver’s seat yet again. I think things will shake out in our favor yet again because Clinton vs. Obama is more of a train wreck than a political fight. I strongly feel that there will not be a fight for the GOP in 2008. As many pundits have already claimed, the next President will likely be chosen by February 2008 as the states battle for an early primary season.

In this day and age, it’s easy to rip the President apart. Almost every media outlet refers to him as “Mr. Bush” as opposed to his earned title of “President Bush.” It’s mostly used as a sign of disrespect but it has been adopted as a universal way of showing that he’s not our President. From the Communist News Network (CNN) to PMSNBC to even the “fair and balanced” Fox News, Keith Olbermann to Rosie O’Donnell to Wolf Blitzer, it has suddenly become the standard to show this sign of disrespect.

I am sensitive to the emotion that, Republicans and Democrats alike, regret having Bush as our President. But like it or not, he’s just that – our President. During middle school and high school, I couldn’t stand the fact that our country chose (on two occasions) to elect Clinton to the White House. However, it was sometime in 2000 where the press and mainstream media felt it necessary to turn the tide on free speech. Can you imagine what Clinton’s presidency would have been like had the media worked against him as it has with Bush? We can regret having President Bush as our leader but we should do it respectfully. We can dislike him but we shouldn’t parade our hatred in a public forum where the rest of the world can see disloyalty to the leader of the free world. I support free speech but as a Conservative, I think we’ve taken that too far. If we regret the leaders elected into office, the best thing we can do as a nation is respect their position, and then when given an opportunity exercise our right to vote.

Over the last several years, President Bush’s approval ratings with the general public have fluctuated. He’s been hot and cold. But at the end of the day, he was elected to office twice. And he has done some great things for this country. He pulled us out of a recession, he endured the tragedy of 9/11, he managed to pull the country back both from a morale stand point but also economically, and a host of “wins” for our country (taxes, education, immigration, welfare, etc.; understanding those are debated by individuals who don’t see eye-to-eye with my politics).

So yes, there may be regret over President Bush. But there’s also pride, admiration and gratitude.