Well, that was a let down

Because I was such a passionate (some would say "rabid") supporter of Senator Kerry's, some people insist I hate George W. Bush. That's not true. I wasn't against him in 2004, I was FOR Senator Kerry. I followed my heart, I didn't dedicate myself to that campaign out of hate or fear but out of hope. We lost, my heart is broken, but we try to move on. I don't enjoy it when W. screws up. He is, after all, my president.

And last night I needed him.

I wanted him to say something about 9/11 and the WTC, the Pentagon and United #93 that would help me heal. Something I understood, something that reflected who we are as people, something that expressed what it means to be an American.

Ronald Reagan got it. He knew that's what a president needs to do, what a president needs to be. I was never a supporter of his, but I still remember his phrase about the Challenger astronauts, "They slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God." That speech was just a few minutes long, but it touched me. He was sincere (I know, he was an actor, but I'm still not cynical enough to believe that was acting) and his speech was poetic, soothing and beautiful.

Bill Clinton got it. I remember his press conference after Oklahoma City. He spoke of our children, of the impact images of violence at a daycare center may have them, and asked parents to remind the young ones that most adults are good and ready to protect them. Metaphorically, Bill Clinton was letting all of us know our government is basically good, and ready to protect us.

I needed George W. Bush to get it. To rise to the occasion. To deliver a speech that reflected 5 years of reflection.

Instead I got a political speech that he could have given last week or next. It was a justification of his policies and his decisions.

I'm a grown woman. Perhaps I shouldn't need a daddy figure behind a shiny desk to assuage my aching heart. But I do. I wish I was the polarized Republican-hater people assume I must be. If I was, I wouldn't have expected better from this president, and I wouldn't feel even emptier today, after the anniversary of 9/11.