Re-Thinking George W.

A few days ago, I quoted George W. Bush's strong defense of Israel and said I wanted proof before I could believe him. Why? Well, why not? This was the man who promised Sharansky he'd be a hard-liner when it came to dealing with the palestinians, and then proceeded to hand the job over to the State Department who, of course, sided with the Arabs every step of the way.
While I'm still hesitant to put my trust in W's strong stand for Israel, I do put my trust in the fact that there are tons of us real, honest-to-G-d Americans out there who do support Israel and believe in the President's words. I don't know where the President's heart really is when it comes to Israel-- how much of the Road Map, the negotiations, the pro-palestinian stance is his, and how much of it belongs to the powers behind the scenes? Classically, the President has been the figurehead with the least amount of power in the federal government. Is that still true today? Is George W. Bush just going with the flow, even if it means compromising on his own values?

I was recently talking with a fellow blogger whose political opinions I greatly respect and have come to trust a good deal. Something in our conversation on the President really hit home: "He's a man who means what he says, and he sticks by his words." It was said with all of the confidence that comes from knowing and believing in absolute truth, sans spin, academic analysis, or pomp and circumstance. Hearing it made me want to believe so badly that, even if some of the bureaucracies and branches of our government are corrupt, at least the leader of our country hasn't totally given in.

Mulling this all over, I was reminded of an old news story I had come across over the holidays. It was an event that was barely spoken of in the MSM, and had garnered little attention even in the blogosphere:

Menorah Lighting at the White House [White House Press Release - Dec 2001]

Celebrating the holidays with light is a custom common to people of faith. Many Presidents have participated in lighting ceremonies marking Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights.

This year marks the first year a Hanukkah lamp (a menorah) was lit in the White House residence.

We celebrate Hanukkah as a season of hope, victory, miracles and redemption. Is there still hope for the President? Is there still hope for the country? Abraham once pleaded with HaShem to spare the most evil of cities if there were but ten righteous within their walls. I pray for the leader of my country, and while I may not trust him, I do trust that HaShem puts leaders on their thrones and also removes them in His own perfect time. Whether the President will actually be able to act upon his powerful words, only time will tell, but this much I do know: As long as she has solid allies out there who believe in the words and not the spin, Israel has nothing to fear.

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