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A Compassionate Conservative Visits Auschwitz
By Doug Patton
June 4, 2003

The more I observe the actions and reactions of President George W. Bush, the more convinced I become of the genuine humanity of the man. It was in evidence in the wake of the September 11th attacks. It was obvious as we witnessed his voice cracking as he talked about the victims in an interview with the press. And we saw it again in his heartfelt memorial speech at the Pentagon during the first anniversary of the attack.

Last weekend, the president and First Lady Laura Bush toured Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp where, sixty years ago, Polish Jews endured one of the world's worst real-life nightmares. It is said that to visit one of these camps is a life-changing experience for all who go there. Apparently, the president was no exception.

"Powerful... so sad... all the little baby shoes..." These words were all Mr. Bush could manage to express verbally after the two-hour tour.

However, in the camp guest book, he wrote, "Thank you sincerely for a deeply moving tour, and (for) dedicating your lives to preserving the memory of the Holocaust and the martyrdom of Poles. You honor all who are victims here. May your work inspire future generations to stand ever vigilant against the return of such unspeakable evil to our world."

"I feel your pain" is more than a mere slogan for this president. Because he is not shackled by the massive narcissism that so totally consumed his predecessor, Bush truly feels the suffering of others.

On the first anniversary of 9/11, when he looked into the eyes of the young widows whose husbands were killed in the attack, it was apparent that he ached along with them.

While there is a quiet confidence about him that his decision to send troops into Afghanistan and Iraq was the right one, he seems also to carry the weight of every soldier who did not return from those conflicts.

Just as Ronald Reagan ached for the family members of the Challenger explosion in 1986, George W. Bush felt obvious emotional pain as he comforted the families of the Columbia disaster.

The president's father, George Herbert Walker Bush, was much less given to public displays of emotion, perhaps because of his patrician, New England upbringing. And yet, we recall the elder Bush choking back tears at the 50th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor - one of the pivotal events of his generation. Can there be any doubt that this is where our current president gets his sense of morality, honor and compassion?

In pondering the character of a leader who is moved to tears by 50-year-old baby shoes, think back to that September day when he stood on that smoldering pile of rubble at the south end of Manhattan Island. Remember? With his arm around that tearful firefighter, he vowed, "I can hear you, America can hear you, and very soon the people who knocked these buildings down are going to hear from all of us!"

January 20, 2001, may have been the day George W. Bush was officially sworn in as the nation's 43rd president, but it was nearly seven months later, on September 11th, that most Americans bonded with him as their leader. He connected with us that day. He truly felt our pain.

So the next time you hear an angry liberal spew hateful epithets like "Fascist" or "Nazi" at this good and decent man, just visualize him walking through Auschwitz, holding his wife's hand, his throat choked with emotion, moved beyond words.

Then get down on your knees and thank God that at this moment in our nation's history, this compassionate conservative is our president.

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Doug Patton is a freelance columnist who has served as a political speechwriter and public policy advisor for federal, state and local candidates and elected officials. His weekly columns can be read in newspapers across the country, and on www.GOPUSA.com, where he serves as the Nebraska Editor. He also writes for Talon News Service (www.TalonNews.com). Readers can e-mail him at dpatton@neonamp.com.