On Tuesday, these quiet patriots came to the defense of their commander in chief; they came out to support the troops by casting a vote for the man in whom the troops put their faith.
And so now President Bush will take his 58-million-vote mandate -- more than any candidate for president has ever received -- and begin to work on the opportunities that lie ahead. "I've earned capital in this election, and I'm going to spend it," the president said at his first post-election news conference on Thursday.
The president will use that capital to continue to work toward peace and stability in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Middle East. While Bush was preparing for his second term in Washington, U.S. forces in Iraq were preparing for an offensive in Fallujah to kill or capture the remaining terrorists in that city and provide stability in anticipation of the national elections early next year.
With Palestinian terrorist Yassir Arafat near death, a new opportunity exists in the Middle East to bring peace to the region. President Bush said he will "continue to work for a free Palestinian state that's at peace with Israel."
Bush also has numerous opportunities at home. Conventional wisdom holds that during the next four years as many as three seats could open on the Supreme Court. During his first term, Democrats waged an aggressive, obstructionist campaign against the president's judicial nominees. If they are serious about their desire to create a bipartisan spirit of cooperation in Washington, Democrats will have to welcome jurists who value human life, the sanctity of marriage and our Judeo-Christian heritage.
Tax relief and simplification of the tax code are high on the president's agenda and much needed improvements. Reform of the Social Security system is an issue that no politician has had the courage to undertake in a serious way. Bush is about to embark on a historic effort to improve our retirement system and will need the cooperation of Democrats who, even in this latest campaign, tried to use it as a scare tactic and a wedge issue.
The people have spoken, they've given our president a mandate, and he is ready to go to work on their behalf. The only question that remains is, have the Democrats learned their lesson and are they ready to help President Bush, or will they simply appoint new obstructionists to replace the old ones like Tom Daschle and Terry McAuliffe?