Thank you, Mr. President

The world, not just America, is aquiver as the pending inauguration of the United States’ first black president nears. No one, I don’t care how right-leaning you are, can be unmoved by the power of such a moment. 

Blacks have consistently comprised about 12% of the American populace for at least the last century, although fifty percent of the population of Williamsburg in 1748 was black--- and half of that group was free, so slavery was never the whole picture of black history in America.

Yet, any minority installed as President is a major achievement for a modern country, all the more so for a group legally enslaved, at least in part, for 200 years and then culturally segregated by a society and a legal system that took another hundred years to fully right itself to the spirit and intent of a free country as spelled out in our Constitution and Declaration of Independence.

That said, what was striking about the recent election was the fervor with which supporters flocked to Obama, as if he were the Savior and Bush were the Anti-Christ.  It wasn’t that people wanted to vote for Obama’s policies, murky as they are. No, they couldn’t wait to see Bush leave. He ruined the country. He’s arrogant, unfeeling, unyielding, not a nice guy. A vote for Obama was a slap in the face to Bush. Not the prettiest picture of American voting trends, but it’s the truth.

In fact, any Democrat running against such an unpopular, two-term Republican would likely have won this election. That the winning candidate is half black was icing on the cake, and thus the cause of much dancing on the Mall come January 20th.

Yet, as unpopular as Mr. Bush is at this moment among the masses, I am here to say thank you for the most important gift he leaves with us after eight years in Washington, the leader of the Free World.

The United States has not suffered a single terrorist attack on our soil since that fateful day, September 11, 2001. Not one. Have there been attempts? Yes, and they’ve been documented. Do Islamic radicals still want to take out western civilization? Of course they do.
Is Bush solely responsible for this state of safety? He rightfully attributes this success to our military forces, law enforcement officials, and intelligence resources. But he led them to that place. He is the Commander-in-Chief. His vision and leadership have kept us safe to the point where gratitude in an afterthought since no one really thinks about it anymore.

Ironically, this kind of leadership is working best when we think we don’t need it anymore. The only way to tell if we’re winning against terrorists is when nothing happens. This is not the stuff news agencies find fascinating and worthy of print space either in hard copy or online. Hence, the populace moves out of fear and into active, normal, everyday lives. People forget why they are fearless and why they are comfortable walking freely in places once smoldering with jet fuel, covered in chaos, and reeking with uncertainty.

Like the mythical phoenix, America rose from the ashes of September 11th and now stands on the edge of another historical first.  As a populace we are not afraid, we don’t look over our shoulders, we don’t fear an imminent terrorist attack. As the President for eight years, Mr. Bush has kept a steady hand on the machinations of government which enables us to live thus, even after 9-11.  Especially after 9-11.
For this I am truly grateful.  Would that all Americans who voted for Obama to get rid of Bush could acknowledge this one simple truth. We are free, we are fearless, and we are making progress as a free nation because of George W. Bush and his policies.

Thank you, Mr. President.

May the new President be worthy of that achievement and never let down his guard on the most precious gift of a free society– the freedom from fear.

Karla K. Bruno is the author of Mischiefs and Miseries: a novel of Jamestown 1607. www.kkbruno.com

An edited version appeared in the January 11, 2009 Virginian-Pilot.