20 Years

As happens each Tuesday, new CDs, DVD's and books arrive on store shelves to await the anxious hands of perspective buyers. This week, former president George W. Bush's memoir, Decision Points, was among those fresh releases. I was able to get my hands on a sample portion of the book through my Kindle, via Amazon.com. In it, Mr. Bush takes a rather clear, simply-stated approach in his writing. The straight-to-the-point honesty of some of the anecdotes he offers point to his desire to "set the record straight"--at least in his viewpoint.

I think that it's important to step away from a given situation to enable a clear assessment. In the case of an object, I am forced to stretch it as far away from my eyes as possible to see the small details clearly. It also helps that I have my reading glasses handy. Viewing history can be very similar. In order to judge a particular era, person or social movement, it is helpful to be distanced from it. It takes as little as a generation to properly make accurate judgments, maybe even several generations. It is unfair to judge a president during the time he is in office, although it is clear when someone makes a mistake in the immediate. As a Christian, I have a strong set of values which influence my point of view about an issue. But to actually judge his decisions and motivations, one must pull back and look at a bigger panorama. In my humble opinion, I think 20 years is the least amount of time it takes to stamp a judgment on history.

Remember, Abraham Lincoln was despised throughout his tenure as president by many, including some within his own cabinet. Time has changed that perspective. Many now say that Lincoln was our greatest president. Reagan was championed in political speeches of some Democrats during this past mid-term election cycle. Time heals wounds. Time brings clarity and sometime reverses what once was a positive to be seen as negative--take the Mad Men, male-chauvinistic, cigarette-smoking culture of the 60's, for instance. Even enemies can appreciate a well fought battle when time separates one from the passions of the moment.

As I have agreed with most of Mr. Bush's policies, I have also disagreed with many, including his lax stand on border security. In his book, he makes a case for several policy decisions including the bank bailouts of the last months of his presidency. I do know that Bush is a decent, God-fearing man who overcame many obstacles to reach the high office he was elected twice to fill. His legacy will find it's true place in history, maybe not after reading the book, or hearing him personally set the record straight on talk shows over these next few months. His legacy will be better judged from an arm's length away, focused through the lens of wisdom and truth.