Bush dances with free people; Albright danced with Kim Jong Il

It’s been fun to watch the videos and read the accounts of President Bush’s trip to Georgia. I know that for those who do not like him, who – let’s face it – hate him, there is nothing charming in these pictures or videos, and his speech sounds like nothing particularly remarkable.

People who have lived in freedom their whole lives and do not even realize how their own liberties are being undermined look at President Bush and see…well, I don’t know what they see.

A swaggering cowboy, fratboy, stutterer who can’t be glib or polished and doesn’t hide his desire to distance himself from the elites and bluebloods.

They see a warmonger who “lied” because he believed everything his predecessor believed and did something about it.

They see hundreds of thousands of people freed due to his vision and efforts, they see women becoming educated and winning formerly denied rights, and proclaim it all “not worth it,” and write silly plays about assassination and sneer about how they keep champagne in their fridge waiting for the day he dies.

But the people who have lived under a jackboot of totalitarianism and tyranny see someone very different, when they see George Bush. And they DANCE. And he dances with them.

The world is not perfect. Bush is not perfect. Do I wish he’d move on domestic issues with the same confidence and resolute sense of purpose with which he approaches foreign policy? Yes.

But I also understand that he faces unprecedented – some would say unconstitutional – resistance from the people elected to serve the whole nation, but who are determined to first serve their agendas. Do I wish he’d be a little more clear about what he plans to do about illegal imigration? Yes. Do I wish he’d kick a few GOP’ers spines up through their heads in Congress to get them off their duffs? Yes. Do I wish he’d look more closely at health care reform? Yes.

But I also see with my own two eyes that no matter what he does try to do, there is an obstructionist opposition working against him which has vowed to never, never, never give an inch, to do nothing to co-operate, even if what he proposes is a plan they would normally have supported. The Party of No will not work, and without them, nothing much will get done.

Nevertheless. He is working for freedom and not bending over to the status quo as regards the UN, or the EU.

In 2008, President Bush can say he tried to strengthen social security and was obstructed, tried to do something about the growing imbalance of power within the judicial branch (a most worrisome situation, and every liberal should be uncomfortable with a branch of government that now answers to no one and feels the US Constitution is open for debate and relativistic interpretation) and was stymied, sought co-operative ideas on immigration and got nothing from the other side.

The press will call the failures his. And in a narrow sense they will be correct. But the broader and greater failure will be on the part of the Congress, and especially on the part of the monolithic, recalcitrant Democrat party, which wants to tell us that the nation which re-elected the Republican president, and gave majorities to Republican legislators is in fact hungry for their obstruction and enthusiastic about their lack of ideas.

President Bush danced in Georgia, with 150,000 others who get him, and they danced, too.

When he leaves office, he will still be able to dance, knowing he did as much as he could with the tools and the legislature he had.

In 2009, if/when a Democrat takes office, the press will warn the GOP not to obstruct, not to get in the way of the president’s “bold and visionary” ideas. They will be very quick to chastise the Republicans if they do not immediately gladhand the left and allow every judicial nominee and up or down vote, and allow every reform a fast passage.

We’ll be dancing, all right. As fast as we can. But I don’t know if it will be a dance of freedom and joy.

UPDATE: Gateway pundit is getting emails from Eastern Europe.

You’ve got to love this!

I just got this in my email:

I am from Europe, and I am strong supporter of President Bush.

Bush has many friends here in Easter Europe. Those of us who remembers oppression and value freedom, feel a special bond to Bush.

Thank you, Mr. Bush! You have a special place in all our hearts.

Denes, Hungary

Even Western Europe is showing “W” some love today…

This from Spain…

From Spain:
Congratulations Mr. Bush.
God Bless America!! (and Georgia) LouReedCensored

Oh, Oh, Oh! …and check this comment out at BarcePundit (You really need to click on this Spanish blog to believe it!)

Interesantísimo y en especial “The staunchly pro-American Baltic nations, who were recently admitted, have already begun infuriating the foreign policy of appeasement and inaction worked by France and Germany.” da que pensar! )

A thought: It would be nice if once – just once – some of the determined-to-be-unhappy Bush haters would crack a smile and be a little happy over some of the things he’s done. Hell, I remember when the Clintons bought their house in Chappaqua, they did the photo op at the grocery story, but when Hillary gushed that she’d bought a “whole box of clementines for $5.00,” even I smiled for her, because she was so obviously excited and pleased. She never seemed more human to me, and I had to smile for her.

I wonder if any Bush-haters out there watched him dance and could allow themselves to smile for his sake. That is the difference, perhaps between a discerning dislike and an absolute, unhinged hate.