A Staunch Democrat Defends Bush

And I couldn't have said it better myself. It's Ed Koch and here are just a few of the good parts:

Recently, President Bush went to Israel to celebrate its 60th birthday as a nation and addressed its parliament, the Knesset. He said, "Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have an obligation to call this what it is: the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history."
Bush's remarks were heavily criticized by leading Democrats, particularly Barack Obama, who said, "Now that's exactly the kind of appalling attack that's divided our country and that alienates us from the world."
Really? Is it wrong to call the philosophy supporting negotiating at the highest levels - President to President without pre-conditions -- with the terrorists and radicals by its rightful name - appeasement?

........

The reason I believe history will redeem President George W. Bush is that he is one of the few leaders on the planet today who understands the larger picture. He has not lost his courage and vision of the future. He knows what calamities await the world if it engages in appeasement and deserts an ally in order to buy an illusory peace. We will recognize his worth long after he is gone.

This is why Bush sleeps well at night and doesn't show the weariness of his task. He never cared what people thought of him personally. He always acted graciously to even his enemies. All he cared about was keeping the American people safe and defeating the enemy. This is not to say he didn't make mistakes. He is human, after all. But he never backed down on the fight that he saw as right and necessary. He never took opinion polls. He knew that sometimes doing the right thing wasn't the popular thing.

h/t BigDog