How sad it was for me, a conservative Republican, to see President Bush leave Washington, D.C. for Texas on Tuesday. I firmly believe that, for all his faults, he was a good president and steward of our country’s safety and freedoms.
I was happy to see President Obama take the oath of office Tuesday. This follows our 208 year-old tradition of the regular peaceful transfer of power that has set the United States government apart from others around the world and in history. That he is the first black person to do so only confirms that our nation stands for freedom and opportunity for all.
What was quite notable on the day of the inauguration was the throng of people in Washington trying to witness Obama’s first moments of his presidency. To be sure, most of these were most likely loyal devotees to the president’s liberal cause and perhaps not a perfect cross-section of America. Also, I could have done without the shallow rendition of Steam’s “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” some in the crowd gave the departing Bush.
Still, there is something encouraging in seeing such a large number of Obama disciples, in Washington and elsewhere, celebrating the president’s inauguration; while they may not have realized it at first, these folks were celebrating the United States of America, too. Patriotism is suddenly cool again.
It is more than slightly frustrating that only by way of the election of their candidate these newfound “proud to be” Americans were able to find reason to express their love of country. Where were the most extreme of these over the past eight years? Bitter, most likely, over Bush’s victory in 2000, these people howled every step of the way. Disagreements about Bush’s policy became threats of impeachment, calls for war crime trials and cinematic and literary fantasies of a presidential assassination. Somewhere along the way, “Bush” became synonymous with “America,” and quite a few people on the far left were seemingly rooting for America to lose a war in order to discredit a president.
Nevertheless, I am willing to forgive and forget. After all, Johnnys-come-lately though they may be, the sizable portion of the American chattering class that routinely rooted for America’s failure under Bush will become her loudest cheerleaders. What have been characterized as unspeakable acts of imperialism, bravado or crusade (that is, the War on Terror) will certainly become the necessary actions of an America defending herself.
There are already reports of Americans abroad suddenly feeling comfortable with identifying as a United States citizen. It is tragic some Americans feel compelled to hide their nationality until a more world-approved president sits in the Oval Office, but those who are proud no matter who is president will be glad to welcome them to the fold.
Some of Obama’s detractors may fall into the same trap of their Bush counterparts, but I should certainly hope not. Perhaps the greatest benefit of a President Obama will be a nation together that stands behind its flag and its freedoms. Liberals will claim Obama will have miraculously brought the country together after Bush was so instrumental in further dividing it. Let them take the credit. The result will be more Americans defending our great country instead of tearing it down.
That’s certainly change I can believe in.
Michael Warren is a junior in the College of Arts and Science. He can be reached at michael.r.warren@vanderbilt.edu.
