Former Bush adviser Mark McKinnon was among the large crowd that flew to Texas Tuesday with George and Laura Bush on Air Force One, renamed Special Air Mission 28000. Blogging for the Daily Beast, McKinnon said Bush displayed “equanimity, grace and a generosity of spirit” as he moved about the cabin and that he believes Bush “feels a genuine warmth for President Obama” and wants him to succeed. On the flight home, McKinnon wrote, “There was a lot of talk of old days and old times. About how eight years had flown by. About how children had grown. There was no high-fiving or celebration. And no weeping or whining. Just a quiet and friendly exchange of hugs between longtime colleagues and friends who had traveled a lot of miles together and weathered a lot storms.” No mention of two awkward moments earlier in the day, as reported by the Washington Post: “When George Bush and Dick Cheney were announced for the final time as president and vice president, thousands on the Mall sang: ‘Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey hey hey, goodbye.’ When Bush’s helicopter took off from the Capitol’s East Front to take him to Andrews Air Force Base for his flight to Texas, shouts from the ground followed him: ‘Go home!’”
Pastor Rick Warren asked in his inaugural prayer Tuesday for “humility in our approaches and civility in our attitudes – even when we differ.” He and President Barack Obama modeled such attitudes and approaches when Obama asked Warren to give the prayer and Warren accepted – despite the gnashing of teeth of some on the left and the right. Warren’s call was echoed in the inaugural address, as Obama urged the nation to end recriminations and worn-out dogmas and, in the words of the Scripture, “set aside childish things.”
Anthony Stevens-Arroyo, a university scholar, opposes the Freedom of Choice Act, which would statutorily establish that women have a fundamental right to choose to bear a child or terminate a pregnancy. But he doesn’t understand why the Catholic Church and some pro-life groups are exaggerating the likelihood of the act ever becoming law and the impact if it did become law – such as the claim that it would force the closure of Catholic hospitals. “I respect the propagandistic value of fear tactics, but are they necessary in this case?” he wrote. He also wondered if the Catholic Church would expend the same amount of effort and money opposing immigration laws that violate Catholic teaching.
The down economy is having at least one benefit: It is helping rebuild the U.S. military. The ongoing conflicts and Iraq and Afghanistan have been depleting military ranks. But more Americans are now joining the military, lured by a steady paycheck, benefits and training, the New York Times reported. All active-duty and reserve forces met or exceeded their recruitment goals last fiscal year, for the first time since 2004. And the recruitment numbers have continued to increase so far this fiscal year.
The amount of outreach and cooperation between President-elect Barack Obama and his former rival, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is unprecedented, political observers say. Obama has sought input and advice from McCain about Iraq and potential nominees to top national security jobs, and he is working with McCain on curbing corporate welfare and waste in military procurements and on overhauling immigration rules. Monday, Obama held a dinner honoring McCain. Fred I. Greenstein, emeritus professor of politics at Princeton University, told the New York Times: “Sometimes there is bad blood, sometimes there is so-so blood, but rarely is there good blood.”
Former Bush adviser Mark McKinnon was among the large crowd that flew to Texas Tuesday with George and Laura Bush on Air Force One, renamed Special Air Mission 28000. Blogging for the Daily Beast, McKinnon said Bush displayed “equanimity, grace and a generosity of spirit” as he moved about the cabin and that he believes Bush “feels a genuine warmth for President Obama” and wants him to succeed. On the flight home, McKinnon wrote, “There was a lot of talk of old days and old times. About how eight years had flown by. About how children had grown. There was no high-fiving or celebration. And no weeping or whining. Just a quiet and friendly exchange of hugs between longtime colleagues and friends who had traveled a lot of miles together and weathered a lot storms.” No mention of two awkward moments earlier in the day, as reported by the Washington Post: “When George Bush and Dick Cheney were announced for the final time as president and vice president, thousands on the Mall sang: ‘Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey hey hey, goodbye.’ When Bush’s helicopter took off from the Capitol’s East Front to take him to Andrews Air Force Base for his flight to Texas, shouts from the ground followed him: ‘Go home!’”
