{"id":681,"date":"2007-10-02T12:51:52","date_gmt":"2007-10-02T12:51:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/jwalking\/2007\/10\/nice-words-for-president-bush.html"},"modified":"2007-10-02T12:51:52","modified_gmt":"2007-10-02T12:51:52","slug":"nice-words-for-president-bush","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jwalking\/2007\/10\/nice-words-for-president-bush.html","title":{"rendered":"Nice words for President Bush"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nice words on President Bush from Bono<\/a> as he received the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center:<\/p>\n

I want to say that the current President Bush was not only gracious, he was
\npassionate \u2014 passionate about doing more for the poorest of the poor. And
\nsmart enough to know that he wasn\u2019t just letting a rock star run amok with his
\nstaff. He knew that DATA \u2014 the organization being honored tonight \u2014 was
\nbursting with energy… filled to the brim with the best and the brightest policy
\npeople and campaigners… <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And even nicer words about America:<\/p>\n

This is my country.
\nWith humility and pride in my own
\nI say America is my country… in the sense that anyone who has a stake in liberty
\nhas a stake in America.
\nFor all you\u2019ve been through, good and bad, this is my country too.
\nFor every time I wince or gasp or punch the wall, when I read something that
\ngalls, there\u2019s another time I am reminded of your great generosity, resilience,
\ninnovation, work ethic … your compassion. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

More….<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Although today — today I read in The Economist an article reporting that over 38
\npercent of Americans support some kind torture in exceptional circumstances.
\nMy country, no… your country \u2013 tell me no.
\nToday as you pin this great honour on me, I ask you … I implore you …
\nAs an Irish man who has seen these things up close, I ask you to remember, you
\ndo not have to become a monster to defeat a monster.
\nYour America is better than that.
\nYour America is the one where Neil Armstrong takes a walk on the moon
\n… because he can.
\nYour America is the one where so many Irish people discovered their value.
\nYour America is one where a brave military fought and died for freedom in places
\nlike Omaha Beach and in the Pacific — give it up for president number 41, a true
\nWorld War II hero.
\nYour America gave Europe the Marshall plan
\nYour America gave the World the Peace Corps…
\nJFK, RFK, and MLK…
\nThe Special Olympics
\nBill and Melinda Gates
\nWarren Buffet
\nOf Dylan and Springsteen… the Bard and the Boss…
\nSteve Jobs
\nLocal hero, Will Smith
\nThe meditations of Mark Rothko
\nThe poetics of Allen Ginsberg
\nEdward R. Murrow
\nMiles Davis
\nQuincy Jones
\nMary J Blige
\nFrank Gehry
\nOf thee I sing. All of thee!
\nThese are the reasons I\u2019m a fan of America.
\nAnd one more: America is not just a country; it\u2019s an idea. Isn\u2019t it?
\nA great and powerful idea.
\nThe idea that all men are created equal\u2014that we are endowed by our Creator
\nwith certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit
\nof happiness. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nice words on President Bush from Bono as he received the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center: I want to say that the current President Bush was not only gracious, he was passionate \u2014 passionate about doing more for the poorest of the poor. And smart enough to know that he wasn\u2019t just letting…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","category-popular-culture"],"yoast_head":"\nNice words for President Bush - J Walking<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jwalking\/2007\/10\/nice-words-for-president-bush.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nice words for President Bush - J Walking\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nice words on President Bush from Bono as he received the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center: I want to say that the current President Bush was not only gracious, he was passionate \u2014 passionate about doing more for the poorest of the poor. 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