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S.E. Wood Sometimes all you need
Remember the 1952 John Ford movie about a
6-foot-4 steelworker-turned-boxer from Pittsburgh, Sean Thornton
(played by John Wayne), returning to his ancestral home in Ireland
to win the affection of the auburn-haired farm girl, Mary Kate
Danaher (played by Maureen O'Hara)? And he won her affection
with grace and dignity. Wayne's mere presence was enough to command
the scene. So you say those were simpler, gentler times. Perhaps.
But maybe we got a glimpse of that same strength of character
these past few weeks in the person of President George W. Bush.
I know the glamour and excitement of Hollywood-style
politics can be addictive. We miss rushing to the boob-tube every
evening to see just what exciting titillation our president has
been up to today. The taped revelations of a White House intern's
romantic frustrations. The accusations. The denials. The blue
dress. Contrast that if you will to GW's handling
of sensitive domestic and international issues these past few
weeks. First and foremost was the China affair. The stakes were
high. But rather than make grandiose statements while the news
cameras whirred, Bush stayed in the background, made the major
decisions, and let his underlings do what they were hired to
do. And we have seen the evidence of this behind-the-scenes strength
of character. When the freed airmen were coming home, GW
sent his congratulations and his best wishes, but let the 24
returning airmen and women have their moment of fame, and their
reunion with their families, without his trying to hog the political
advantage. From the president's ranch in Texas, White House press
secretary Ari Fleischer quoted Bush as saying, "What's important
is for everyone to come home without a lot of hoop-de-la."
And they did. And there was the recent civic unrest in Cincinnati.
No, GW didn't fly in with all the grandeur of Air Force One,
plus the back-up C-130s and armored limos for the usual political
photo-op. The White House issued a brief statement urging calm,
and assured the public that the attorney general was monitoring
things. Tranquility was restored through a curfew imposed by
the Cincinnati mayor, and the Justice Department dispatched three
professionals from the Civil Rights Division to conduct a thorough
investigation and make remedial recommendations. No headlines.
Just results. As went the John Wayne line in The Quiet Man,
"When you are hard enough, tough enough, you forget the
fear of hell!" Can GW live up to that? We'll have to wait
and see, but so far it's working. Columnist Michael Kelly wrote,
"We can hear the birds sing again, the gentle lapping of
the Potomac against its grassy banks, the spring breeze wafting
through the cherry blossoms." Why, even former Vice President Al Gore must be feeling fat, dumb and happy these days. The press reports that ol' Al has gained 40 pounds since the election. And two-out-of-three ain't all that bad! |