These last 12 days have certainly been a whirlwind.  My husband and I, along with so many others, have been glued to the news following what's going on in the Middle East.  I asked my husband if we were "gluttons for violence" because we just could not keep from following the events.  He quickly assured me that we were "gluttons for justice."  That is so true.  From the moment we all watched the horrors of 9-11, I'm sure my family was like so many others, calling home inquiring "Honey, are you watching the news?" or "Mom, are you watching the news?"  We further followed our President making the stand to protect this country -- OUR FAMILIES! -- and not backing down.  His statements are vivid in my memory of the "axis of evil" and "if you harbor or aid a terrorist, you are just as guilty" or "you're either with us or against us."  It didn't take long for the left to start defining our President as a warmonger, a cowboy, stirring up battles we will not be able to finish or creating more terrorists.  This rhetoric has continued.  I wondered where all of these folks were during this past week.  It seemed that most democrats and republicans alike were in unity on Israel defending itself.  Finally, this weekend, I heard one democratic analyst say something to the effect that Bush should have dealt with Hezbulla first and maybe this wouldn't have flared up like it has, that he has ignored the Middle East, etc. 

Through all of the talk on news shows of late, one name you have not heard as one of the parties to the "axis of evil" is Iraq -- nor Lybia for that matter -- but Iraq was nowhere in the equasion.  That is because our President has not relented in pressing the point of how important it is to stamp out this terrorism and people that want to kill us all in the name of their religion.  In speech after speech since 9-11, our President has not forgotten what we're fighting for and he has repeated that it's not only for our country, but for the peace of the world.  Part of me thinks that President Bush could not have orchestrated this recent crisis any better than if he had laid out the plan himself.  Then I remember all that he has said, over and over ad nauseum, and I believe this is exactly what he's been talking about.  I don't think any of this is a surprise to him.  He knows them.  Our President knows exaclty what these terrorists are all about and what they want to do and destroy.

Another amazing part of the news coverage is that it seems, for once, that all of the Middle East is in unison about the cause of this crisis.  There is a unity among voices that the cause is Hezbulla-- terrorists!

I am amazed at what I'm hearing (and not hearing) with this current crisis.  President Bush said that it would take a long time to fix this problem and that we were in it for the long haul, and he is doing it without whining that he's fixing a mess that was left to him by the previous administration.  Our President doesn't operate that way.  He doesn't run around placing blame, and it seems that he would be the only one at this point well within his right to do so, but he doesn't.  He is determined and full of integrity, character and courage and I believe he is going to go down in history as one of the, if not the greatest President that has ever led our country.  While leading as he leads, he is also leaving the greatest office of this land in a condition better than when he entered it, and is leaving policies in place that enables whoever follows him to carry on and not miss a step in protecting us and building strong and sustainable relationships all over the world. 

I remember well and I will vote, vote, vote!!!