When the 2000 Presidential election and all of the chaos surrounding it was over and George W. Bush was finally declared the winner and the forty-third President of the Untied States – I was not a very happy American. Having voted for Al Gore and having to endure the most screwed up election in American history – I was very upset when Bush won. After hearing President-Elect Bush’s victory speech, I wrote that he sounded like, “a little boy who finally got the toy back that was wrongly taken away from him.” And while I may have felt that way about Bush then and did not think that he would be a good President – I stand corrected.

Now that he is in office – and now that we are at war – I feel that President Bush is doing an excellent job – which is a complete one hundred and eighty degree turn from how I felt when he got elected. Seeing the way he has responded and acted since September 11th made me change my view of our President – and choose to support him rather then dislike him.

They say that tragedy brings out the best in people – and that is certainly the case with President Bush. As the leader of the most important nation in the world – it is the President’s job to run this nation in all aspects, which is a very difficult job in itself. But after September 11th – his job has become a matter of life and death. Now, Bush’s job is to control and command our Armed Forces in the war against terrorism – while trying to keep this country mentally, physically – and financially afloat.

I personally think that since September 11th, President Bush has done that and then some. He has gathered the world’s nations to join us in the war, he has offered tax cuts, interest rate reductions and aid to Americans that were directly and indirectly effected by the attacks – and he has proved to be a strong leader and an encouraging speaker each time he addresses the nation.

Besides seeing his actions and speeches on television, I had the honor of meeting President Bush when he attended a memorial service at Ground Zero on Sunday. This was the first time I have ever seen a President up close and personal. At the conclusion of the memorial, he was shaking the hands of the workers at Ground Zero. When he was finished, I reached out my hand and told him that I was honored to have him as my President. At the beginning of this year – that would have been a lie. But now that he has worked tirelessly to lead our country in it’s most critical time – that statement could not be more true. After I made that statement, he looked at me and told me that he was honored to be my President – and I could tell that he truly meant that.

So I will admit that I judged President Bush prematurely when he got elected and did not give him the chance to prove himself. But now that he has – I can truly say that I am proud to have George W. Bush as our forty-third President – and our Commander-In-Chief in the war against terrorism.