Pres. Bush Tired, But Still Plenty of Heart

I think that there is certainly a large amount of wisdom in limiting our President to two terms of office, eight years. And, I’m not referring to the potential to accumulate too much power. It’s mental and physical exhaustion that concerns me. Living under the level of stress that a President is subjected is unhealthy in the long-term. And, an unhealthy person is likely to make unwise decisions, which is not good for the country.

I was in Washington D.C. for President Bush’s national police officer memorial speech on May 15th at the U.S. Capitol. The photo of the President was taken from a long way off with a hand-held camera, and that accounts for the photo’s low quality. Nevertheless, it is clear that the President looks very tired.

President Bush was forceful and passionate in his speech, and it was clear that he appreciates the personal sacrifices police officers make for others. Pres. Bush specifically mentioned Honolulu motorcycle police officer Steve Favela, who died as a result of injuries sustained in a traffic collision while escorting the President’s motorcade.

Unlike the previous President, this President cares about the little people. By happenstance, I ended up standing near a U.S. Capitol police officer as the President’s motorcade entered the Capitol grounds. Suddenly there we were, the two of us with no one else around, with-in a mere few feet of the President as his car passed by. I didn’t really surprise me, but there went the President waving at us. And, who were we? Just a police officer in uniform and an off-duty officer in civvies. Neither the officer nor I waved or made any untoward moves, which is a good thing because it would have made some Secret Service Agents pretty nervous. I didn’t even make an attempt to bring my camera into play. I’ve been in close proximity to Presidents previously, and I know better than to make stupid moves.

I think that the President is tired, and he’s beaten upon by low approval ratings. Nevertheless, I believe that he is buoy up by his personal values, and he’d rather do what he feels is right than to succumb to criticism or worry about his legacy. Those are values that were absent from the White House for eight years and will be absent again if a certain Senator from New York becomes our next President.