Dear Mr. President,
Growing up my parents taught me what to look for in a
leader. Someone who always stands by
their word, believed in the greatness of the individual, believed in the
founding principles of America and all her greatness and most importantly,
someone who never gave up.
In 2000, I was just a little girl, but I knew there was
someone who was a real leader running for the Office of The President. I was too young then to really understand the
politics of it all, but I understood there was a difference between the two
candidates running that year. I watched
the debates, listened to the news, and read the papers. I started to get a taste for the political
process.
So on November 7, 2000, I
proudly walked into my school with my Bush/Cheney sticker on my shirt and
prayed for a win for the good guys. As the
weeks went on after Election Day, I would wake up every morning and ask my mom
and dad if you were president yet. The
waiting was killing me. Finally, they
declared you the winner. I could not
have been happier.
A few months later, things changed. I will never forget where I was when I heard
about what happened on 9/11, and the world stopped. But, for some reason, I knew that having you
and Mrs. Bush in the White House, everything would be okay. When you declared from Ground Zero that you
heard them, that rest of the world could hear them, and the people who knocked
those buildings down would hear from all of us, I knew you meant it. You would do what was right by the American
People, and protect us to the core. And
you did just that.
As time went on, I began to really start to look deeper into
politics and how it all worked, when it entailed and how I might fit into it
all.
2004. I had some
pretty vocal teachers at this point in my education and they were focused,
pretty heavily on this election. I
decided this was my shot. So, at the age
of 16, I had my mom drive me down to the Burbank California official
headquarters for your reelection campaign after school so I could volunteer for
your campaign. This was my official
start into the political world I am now full immersed in.
So come November 2, 2004, I marched into school with my
Bush/Cheney sticker and again played the waiting game. I had never felt more a part of something so
important in my whole life then I did at that moment. Even though I was not eligible to vote, I had
a small part in helping to elect a President that I truly believed in.
President Bush, I know you had the toughest job on the planet. You were the leader of the free world. You were the captain of the shining city on a
hill, a beacon of hope. You were the
President for the people. You did what
was best for America at the time. You
put aside your own agenda and fought for America.
The love and dedication you showed and continue to show, for this country, the men and women who fought to secure our freedoms and the freedom of people all over the world is a true inspiration to us all. Thank you for respecting what they do, and showing us all just how special and important they are to us.
For eight years I went to sleep every night knowing that you
were in the White House making tough decisions to keep me safe. You were praying for guidance on what to do,
and how to keep us safe and to end the terror the world faced. I never once worried where America stood in
the eyes of the world. You were and are
a true leader. A hero in my heart. Then and now.
On November 20, 2009 I watched you and Mrs. Bush board
Marine One for the last time, and with tears in my eyes, uttered the words “Thank
you President Bush” in the hope that you felt the thanks and love we have for
you.
Watching the dedication of your Presidential Center, I again
had tears in my eyes as I listened to you speak about your time in office and
the tough decisions you were forced to make.
So many years later, I am still beyond grateful you made those decisions
and kept your promise to keep America safe, and that shining city on a hill.
Thank you will never be enough, Mr. President. I can never truly express to you the love and
respect I have for you. I am honored to
call you my President. Privileged to
have chance to tell people that I volunteered for your campaign. And eternally thankful to you.
May God continue to bless you and your family President
Bush.
