Have a Drink With Me, Raise Your Glasses for a Toast

Tomorrow is the last day in the Presidency of George Walker Bush. Like him, or hate him, he held the office of the President in one of the toughest times our nation has ever seen. Agree with his decisions or not, he made them, and they were not easy. They were not decisions that most American people could make. They were not for the fainthearted.

At his final press conference last week, it was time for W to look back on his eight tumultuous years in office and reflect on the decisions that he made. Defend a few, criticize a few, but more important than the fact that he used an adverb correctly, to announce to the world what some people have forgotten: he is human.

The office of the Presidency transcends any one individual. It is greater than any act a person holding the office can make. It has been there long before any modern-era president has taken office, and will more than likely be there far after. President-Elect Obama, like him or not, has fulfilled the dream that Martin Luther King spoke of forty years ago. Rather than being judged solely by the color of his skin, President-Elect Obama has been judged by the content of his character. And a plurality of Americans have seen that character fit to behold the office of President.

And so I offer two toasts. First, to President Barack Obama. You assume the office of the presidency at a time of unrest and uncertainty, perhaps unparalleled since the fledgling years of our nation. A weary people looks to you for leadership, for guidance, and for the reassurance that we will be strong again, we will be resilient. In the end, we will have disagreements. More significantly than policy, we have different philosophies of government. It is fair to say that you have more faith in it than I do. But no matter our differences, we both want what is best for this country, regardless of the different ways we want to go about it. I wish you luck, I wish you grace, and I wish you well, Mr. President.

Finally, to President George Walker Bush. History will, I believe, be much kinder to you than anyone today could envision. While not the most popular kid in the class, you stood your ground and held steadfast to your principles. Even if I cannot applaud all of your actions, I applaud your fidelity to yourself. When they go to write the chapter on you in American History, be prepared to be honored, rather than admonished. To be cherished, rather than disregarded. To be criticized, but still respected for the difficult choices you made. That your worth may be written in the rock of the earth, and your faults upon the sand. I wish you luck, I wish you grace, and I wish you well, Mr. President.

Farewell, Number 43, Farewell.