Finally, to the best of his ability, our "Person of the Year" has changed the climate in Washington as he promised. He has not been guilty of the slurs, deceits and insults that characterized his predecessor. He has not indulged in the vituperation and mendacity that the mediocrities seeking the Democratic nomination regularly practice against him. For the first time since post-Civil War politicians sought election by "waving the bloody shirt," Democrats have legitimatized anger against an opponent as a campaign tactic. Some of the president's opponents in the Democratic Party and in the soi-disant intelligentsia actually boast of their hatred of the president.
Our "Person of the Year" has not responded in kind. This is because he is a gent. The president has cultivated the virtues of a gentleman, not the least of which is what New Frontiersmen once called "grace under pressure." Attendant with his gentlemanly behavior, he does not draw inordinate attention to himself. While his prospective opponents brag of their every quirk and vainglorious achievement, the president displays a seemly modesty, even though he is the most powerful man on earth. One of his traits that I have noted in reading his biographies is that he is reluctant to lay claim to achievements that are not his own. Not only will we not see him claiming to have given us the Internet, he is even reluctant to boast of clever turns of phrase written for him by his very capable speechwriters. In one anecdote I read, he joked about how someone else wrote something for him. Such candor is very refreshing in an era when political candidates are so frequently being caught stretching the truth and even plagiarizing.
Thus, in an era of gasbags, George W. Bush has stood out as a gentleman. Like the quiet, undemonstrative men who captured the brutal Saddam Hussein, he allows his actions to speak for him. The actions constitute a presidential record of historic import. Right now those actions place him on the presidential tier of Harry Truman, just below the lofty estate of Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. Doubtless he has five more years to see if he can match those great leaders. Unfortunately, the challenge of international terror might give him sufficient opportunities to do so.
For now he is faced with a smaller challenge. He is an ardent physical fitness buff, and the doctors have told him sore knees will hamper his runs. Mr. President, I suggest ice on both knees and wearing a neoprene sleeve on them when you run. If that prescription fails, face the fact of your middle-aged hinges and ride a stationary bike. We at The American Spectator want our "Person of the Year" cheerful and vigorous for the year ahead. It is going to be a demanding one.