George W. Bush Tribute

I admire Fmr. President George W. Bush for the following three reasons:

George W. Bush was willing to make the protection of human life paramount, even when it was not the popular thing to do (e.g., vetoing an embryonic stem cell research bill). Even though there were some flaws in his Pro-Life policies, I give Bush credit for trying hard to create Pro-Life policies. (An example of an imperfection in Bush's Pro-Life policies is his support for the Plan B "Morning-After" Pill.)
George W. Bush, who is a Protestant, has praised Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. Bush has called Pope John Paul II a "...champion of human freedom..." (President's Statement on the Death of Pope John Paul II, 4/2/2005), and has taken John Paul II's teaching on constructing a Culture of Life to heart, by saying the following:

In the culture of life we must make room for the stranger. We must comfort the sick. We must care for the aged. We must welcome the immigrant, We must teach our children to be gentle with one another. We must defend in love the innocent child waiting to be born. (Remarks by the President at Dedication of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, 3/22/2001)

Bush's contribution to the construction of a Culture of Life, was to call upon Americans to live a charitable life by becoming solders in the Army of Compassion. Bush's marching orders for the Army of Compassion was for everybody to love their fellow man, just as they would like to be loved.
George W. Bush tried hard to live his faith in his public and private life. He was a politician who was not afraid to incorporate his Christian beliefs into his political policies, even when it was not the popular thing to do. Here is an example of Bush talking about his faith:

(At the October 13th, 2004 third presidential debate in Tempe, Arizona, President George W. Bush is asked the following question by the moderator, BOB SCHIEFFER of CBS: "Mr. President, let's go to a new question. You were asked before the invasion -- or after the invasion of Iraq if you had checked with your dad. And I don't believe -- I don't remember the quote exactly -- but I believe you said you had checked with a higher authority. I would like to ask you, what part does your faith play on your policy decisions?") PRESIDENT BUSH: First, my faith plays a lot -- a big part in my life. And that's -- when I was answering that question, what I was really saying to the person was that I pray a lot. And I do. And my faith is a very -- it's very personal. I pray for strength. I pray for wisdom. I pray for our troops in harm's way. I pray for my family. I pray for my little girls. But I'm mindful in a free society that people can worship if they want to, or not. You're equally an American if you choose to worship an Almighty, and if you choose not to. If you're a Christian, Jew or Muslim, you're equally an American. That's the great thing about America, is the right to worship the way you see fit. Prayer and religion sustain me. I -- I've received calmness in the storms of the presidency. I love the fact that people pray for me and my family all around the country. Somebody asked me one time, well, how do you know? I said, I just feel it. Religion is an important part. I never want to impose my religion on anybody else, but when I make decisions, I stand on principle. And the principles are derived from who I am. I believe we ought to love our neighbor like we love ourself. That's manifested in public policy through the faith-based initiative, where we've unleashed the armies of compassion to help seal -- heal people who hurt. I believe that God wants everybody to be free. That's what I believe. And that's part of my foreign policy. In Afghanistan, I believe that the freedom there is a gift from the Almighty, and I can't tell you how encouraged I am to see freedom on the march. And so my principles that I make decisions are a part of me, and religion is a part of me.

To conclude, here are some resources about the President's Pro-Life beliefs, his Christian faith, and his respect for the papacy. The resources are: