Choosing To Not Stand Outside The Fire

There’s a longstanding tradition in politics: bipartisanship is 1) vital to effective government and 2) 99 44/100% guaranteed to be a fast path toward career self-immolation.  The ideological litmus test crew, i.e. pundits, rip mercilessly on those whose primary residence is their neighborhood yet reach out to the other side of the aisle for the unforgivable crime of compromising any of their sacred dictums even as denizens of the other side of the street despise them for where they live period.  It’s sharpening the saw to aim at the necks of those choosing to suffer the consequences of living in a lose-lose scenario.  The leader who chooses holding fast to their core beliefs and principles does so knowing they will be lambasted for committing the unpardonable sin of standing for what they believe regardless of whether it toes the party line along with never being accepted by the other side.  To stand unswayed in the wind compromised of hot air from haters should be a quality revered.  Instead, it is reviled.

The Christian knows these things, forever a stranger in a strange land no matter where they roam.  The world is incapable of understanding clear certainty when it comes to matters of faith, rendered unable to comprehend this by its inability to grasp the truth that Jesus is.  Meanwhile, the church often shakes its head in disapproving bewilderment when one or more of its members behave in a manner deemed unseemly, such as hanging out with publicans and sinners.

Both of these factors come into play when considering President Bush.  He has been blasted by the left for his aggressive pursuit of the war on terror via the elimination of Iraq as an active supporter of same while being ripped on by the right for not practicing party politics (or at least the pundit’s definition of same) in matters such as immigration.  He has been blamed for the country’s and to a degree the world’s present economic woes; never mind the primary cause being a Democratic-led policy of handing out housing loans like candy to those who had no possible means of repaying said loans once the insane upward climb of home prices came to a halt.  Finally, he has been roundly criticized for following his own instincts and beliefs no matter their unpopularity.  In short, President Bush is hated for actually leading in a world that says it wants one yet cannot abide actually having one.

An op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal by Jeffrey Scott Shapiro, an investigative journalist and lawyer (now there’s a combo that’ll scare people who cross him) who interned with John Kerry’s legal team during the 2004 presidential election minces no words in commenting on this:

The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have. The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time.

Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty — a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.

‘Nuff said.

The time will come when this country and the world will deeply regret not having a leader who says and acts upon what he believes without regard for polls or pundits.  A true leader demonstrates courage by sticking to their convictions.  We have such a leader now.  He who is next in line?  Who knows.

P.S.  Continuing the tradition (of one post) of tacking a music video not really having all that much to do with the post other than the title…