I have not read any advance reports of what President Bush will be saying in his farewell address tonight, but over the past few days I have thought back on the endless Clinton goodbye that was stretched out so long on Inauguration Day to the point that the news broadcasts ran a split screen of the incoming and outgoing presidents. It appeared Bill Clinton would never leave the national stage that day, and come to think of it, he never really did. I expect George Bush’s farewell will be nothing like that of Clinton. I expect he will leave with the utmost class (and will leave everything where it belongs) and although I am sure it will be a huge adjustment going from leader of the free world to Texas retiree, I have a feeling that George Bush looks forward to it.
He has been far from perfect, but has had some great achievements for which he has received little, if any, credit and I truly believe he is a good man who wanted only the best for the country. I join my friend, the Anchoress, in saying “Thank you President Bush.”
Update: Jim Hoft has a great Farewell post with lots of pictures. Gay Patriot notes how modest George Bush was in the speech and how frequently he pointed to others as those responsible for the successes during his administration. I was surprised that Bush gave only a passing reference to the work done in Africa during his administration. He is a hero there and with good reason. The fact that the American media has almost completely ignored his “Africa legacy” is just one more example of how biased they are. Try this on your friends — ask them which U.S. president did the most to provide humanitarian aid to Africa (including on the AIDS front) during his administration and which president is considered a beloved hero there. Most would probably guess Bill Clinton. Imagine if Bill Clinton had done as president what Bush did in Africa. The media would not have to report it because he would have mentioned it about every five minutes. George Bush is a very modest man and the “back patting” (as the AP referred to it) was about as restrained as you ever hear from a politician.
