Enlarge

Jeremy Vos

Cortnie Robbins, SGA Parliamentarian

Former President George Bush spoke in Tyler on October 19.

A group of Panola College students, including some Panola College Student Government Association officers, went to Tyler to see former President George W. Bush speak at the University of Texas at Tyler.

 I didn’t really know what to expect. Bush has been criticized for everything while he was in office, although I personally had always supported the President.

 When the former President walked onstage, the welcome was amazing. I couldn’t help but think how lucky I was to be hearing a President speak, especially one of my favorites.

 As the applause died down, and he began speaking, I remembered why I believed in him so much.

 He began with several stories about life after the Presidency. He told us about walking his dog in his new neighborhood, something he hasn’t done in a decade. He talked about how his dog had actually never even seen a neighborhood but only the lawns of the White House. He said that he realized how much freedom he really had now. The crowd laughed when he said he didn’t actually miss the presidency, only that he missed getting pampered and being Commander in Chief for an amazing group of men and women.

 He summed up his job title by telling us it was all about making decisions. His first decision was what rug would he like to have put in the Oval office. He then said you should always admit when you need help and always ask for it when you need it, so he turned to his wife, Laura, and asked her to design the rug. One thing he wanted the rug to do was give off the feeling of optimism.

 When he began reflecting on his Presidency he talked about how he admired President Abraham Lincoln because President Lincoln had so much compassion for his armies and his nation. President Bush said visiting families of fallen soldiers was an emotional experience for him.

 When asked how he felt when he learned of the events of September 11, he said he felt like every other American -- he was angry. He didn’t want to address the nation just yet; he wanted only to protect us and at that moment that was his first priority. He talked about how he wanted to get home and he wasn’t being allowed. He called his mom and father to make sure they were okay and he asked where they were. His mother joked and said he should know because he grounded their flight.

 He ended the night with saying, “You can’t please everyone all the time and frankly, I don’t give a damn.”

I was a George Bush supporter before I heard him speak, and now I have even greater respect for our former President. He did what he felt was right for our country in our times of need. We may have not agreed with everything he did, but if we were in his shoes, who knows what we really would have done.