As Submitted By
Congressman Zach Wamp

Following my return from the recent planning retreat for Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in West Virginia, I was amazed and greatly encouraged as the Iraqi people danced in the streets after voting with unexpected participation and enthusiasm. They danced in defiance of their terrorist intimidators, courageously demonstrating around the globe that freedom is indeed “on the march,” even in the heart of the Arab world.

We met with President Bush for about two hours on Friday, January 28th. He openly answered an array of questions from immigration to the definition of marriage. The President spoke a more energetic, more enthusiastic, more articulate and more committed message, challenging each of us to see his vision and to seize the opportunities that lay before us. While his political opponents will surely take exception and continue to criticize, President George W. Bush’s remarks, delivery, and tone are now resonating better with the American people, even among his most fervent critics. In my humble opinion, historians will ultimately include him on a distinguished list of the truly great Presidents over the course of American history.

President Bush continues to surround himself with bright, capable and principled Cabinet secretaries.

President Bush takes excellent care of himself and sets a national example as an individual of mental, spiritual and physical health and wellness.

President Bush has been consistent and strong on the world stage throughout his dealings with the United Nations despite weak-kneed allies like Germany and France who retreated from their commitments to freedom and liberty.

President Bush has honored his commitment to a Biblical world view on issues of morality and character while balancing a respect for individual rights and privacy.

President Bush has shown extraordinary resiliency, resolve and tenacity to engage the causes of freedom around the globe when he sees them arise.

For the last several years, I have watched our President from a perspective closer than the average citizen but not so close as to be “blinded.” The two traits describing President Bush that I would underscore as we begin his second term together are energy and enthusiasm. He enjoys an abundance of both.

And if all else are equal, energy and enthusiasm often mean the difference between success and failure. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”

With great energy and enthusiasm, like that of the 43rd President of the United States, I look forward to the critical debates and needed reforms we will see in the 109th Congress.