I doubt that many have bookmarked or written in their calendars the George Bush farewell speech for tonight. But, nonetheless, President George W. Bush's farewell speech is more than a goodbye to the nation that elected him twice. History will judge him more correctly as is the case with all of us.
It is his last chance in office to define his tumultuous presidency in his own, unfiltered terms - a mission that will keep his fire burning even after he fades off to a quieter life.
Bush will say goodbye to the country Thursday night. He will follow the script of Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter and many before them: Express thanks to the country and pride in the honor of serving, wish the next president well and outline what he considers to be the biggest challenges ahead.
The transition is truly on. Obama is back stage and ready.
Bush and his loyal backers see his record this way: He kept the country safe from attack after terrorism redefined his presidency, cut taxes, freed the people of Afghanistan and Iraq, reformed education, oversaw 52 straight months of job growth, acted decisively when the economy tanked, stuck to principle no matter what his poll numbers, retooled the military and improved federal crisis management after the worst U.S. natural disaster happened on his watch.
To his critics, Bush wasted the world's good will after the Sept. 11 attacks, got the nation into a catastrophic and avoidable Iraq war, presided over a staggering 2.6 million jobs lost in 2008, ran up debt, reacted slowly to Hurricane Katrina, did more dividing than uniting and refused to listen to the will of the people.
I'm sure we each have our opinions, but as humans, as Americans, may we thank he and his family for serving eight long years wherein his life was not his, but given to a greater cause.
About the Author:
As a spiritual-futurist, I interpret current events in light of possible macro-universal forces at play leading up to 2012, but not limited to it.