Our President

 Have you noticed a difference in the salute given
 by our military men and women as President Bush walks
 by? Most folks would not notice anything, but military
 people see it right away.

 Watch: When President Bush leaves his helicopter
 or Air Force One, the honor guards salute and face him
 as he disembarks, then turn their faces towards him as
 he passes by. They continue to salute his back as he
 walks away. This kind of salute has not been seen in
 the previous eight years, though it is customary
 courtesy to the Commander-in-Chief. You see, soldiers
 aren't required to turn and face the President as they
 salute. They are not required to salute his back.

 They are only required to salute. They can remain
 face-forward the entire time. And that is what they
 did during Bill Clinton's entire Presidency. Our
 soldiers were forced to obey Clinton's orders, but
 they were not forced to respect him. From their
 salutes, we can surmise that they did not. Why is
 such respect afforded to President Bush? He doesn't
 even know how to bite his lower lip and not get
 teary-eyed whenever he speaks!

 The following incident from Major General Van
 Antwerp may give us an insight. Gen. Antwerp is
 president of the Officers' Christian Fellowship. He
 lost nearly all his staff when the Pentagon was
 attacked Sept. 11. His executive officer LTC Brian
 Birdwell was badly burned and in the hospital when
 President Bush visited him. Our President spent time
 and prayed with Brian. As he was getting ready to
 leave, he went to the foot of Brian's bed and saluted.
 He held his salute until Brian was able to raise his
 burned and bandaged arm, ever so slowly, in return.

 The Commander-in-Chief never initiates a salute,
 except in the case of a Congressional Medal of Honor
 winner. The injured soldier did not have to return the
 salute. But he did, out of respect to his President --
 a Soldier's President.

 Congressman JC Watts (R. Oklahoma) said,
 "Character is doing the right thing when nobody is
 looking." The nation and world learned some of what
 our last President did when nobody was looking. That
 President has been disbarred this week -- the worst
 disgrace (other than imprisonment) to a lawyer. CNN
 will have a difficult time shining his or his wife's
 tarnished images.

 In this time of war and danger, I am so grateful
 to have a President whom the soldiers salute -- fully.


 On Special Report with Brit Hume (hosted by Jim
 Angle), at the close of the show when they normally
 have some funny video clip, they showed President Bush
 and the First Lady on their way to Marine One to leave
 for Camp David for the weekend. As the video starts,
 the First Lady is leading the way into the helicopter
 with the spaniel dog on the leash, and the president
 is right behind her with the Scotty on the leash. As
 the First Lady entered the chopper, the Marine at the
 gangway saluted and held his salute. The Scottie, the
 president was walking decided it wanted to squat right
 when he got to steps. The president pulled on it's
 leash, but the stubborn Scottie persisted in
 squatting. The president bent down and scooped up the
 pooch and entered Marine One.

 After he entered, the Marine cut his salute and
 returned to the position of attention. Moments later
 the president reemerged from the helicopter and out
 onto the steps. The Marine was standing at attention,
 head and eyes straight ahead. The president leaned
 over and tapped him on the left arm. The startled
 Marine turned his body toward the president and
 received his returned salute!

 I was so impressed by this true act of respect
 for our military people by our president! He really
 does get it. Most any other person of his stature
 would have just continued his journey, disregarding
 the neglected return salute. Not George W. Bush. He is
 earning the respect of the military community, not
 expecting it -- as most have and would.

 President George W. Bush -- the man who admitted
 to having a drinking problem in younger years, and
 whose happy-go-lucky lifestyle led him to mediocre
 grades in college and an ill-fated oil venture, who
 mangled syntax, and whose speaking mis-steps became
 known as "Bushisms." He came within a hair's breadth
 of losing the election in November. While votes were
 counted and re-counted, Bush quietly but confidently
 waited at his ranch.

 Make no mistake, his orders were carried out, but
 he stayed in the background, faithful and confident.
 Bush named Jesus Christ as Lord of his life on public
 TV. Not an oblique reference to being "born-again" or
 having a "life change." He actually said the
 un-PC-like phrase, "Jesus Christ!"

 On September 11, he was thrust into a position
 only known by Roosevelt, Churchill, Lincoln, and
 Washington. The weight of the world was on his
 shoulders, and the responsibility of a generation was
 on his soul. So President George W. Bush walked to his
 seat at the front of the National Cathedral just three
 days after two of the most impressive symbols of
 American capitalism and prosperity virtually
 evaporated.

 When the history of this time is written, it will
 be acknowledged by friend and foe alike that President
 George W. Bush came of age in that cathedral and
 lifted a nation off its knees. In what was one of the
 most impressive exhibitions of self-control in
 presidential history, President George W. Bush was
 able to deliver his remarks without losing his
 resolve, focus, or confidence.

 God's hand, which guided him through that
 sliver-thin election, now rested fully on him. As he
 walked back to his seat, the camera angle was
 appropriate. He was virtually alone in the scene,
 alone in that massive place with God, just him and the
 Lord. Back at his seat, George H. Bush reached over
 and took his son's hand. In that gesture his father
 seemed to say, "I wish I could do this for you, son,
 but I can't. You have to do this on your own."
 President George W. Bush squeezed back and gave him a
 look of peace that said, "I don't have to do it alone,
 Dad. I've got help." What a blessing to have a
 professing Christian as President.

 Please take a moment after you read this to pray
 for him. He truly does have the weight of the world on
 his shoulders. Pray that God will sustain him and
 give him wisdom and discernment in his decisions. Pray
 for his protection and that of his family.

 After you have prayed, send this to everyone on
 your e-mail list. Our President needs Christians
 around the world to be praying for him. As this makes
 the e-mail rounds, eventually there could literally be
 millions of people praying for him.

 

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