Did you watch President Bush's primetime address to the nation on a new strategy for Iraq last night? What do you think about his plan to send more American troops? I appreciate Justin Taylor's question and answer summary of the speech which presents the key arguments the President made.
It appears to me that the President is leading out of his conviction to leave Iraq in better shape than it was before the invasion, rather than cater to public opinion. His decision to send over 20,000 more soldiers and Marines to Iraq is highly unpopular with the majority of Americans, yet he is going to do it anyway. A leader needs to balance being courageous and confident in him- or herself with a willingness to listen and learn from those he or she leads. We need both fearless and wise leaders.
Whether you agree or disagree with the President, we need to keep praying for him, our other leaders, our soldiers fighting in Iraq, and the people of Iraq. Pray that God's wisdom, peace and justice would prevail.
One last important reflection on the late President Gerald Ford...Jon Meacham, managing editor of Newsweek magazine, writes in the 1/2/07 Washington Post how Ford's theological beliefs shaped his decision to pardon Richard Nixon. (Hat Tip: Rick Warren's Ministry Toolbox) Click on the images on the right to enlarge them so you can read the actual pardon document. Quoting Meacham:
There were many reasons for the pardon that came a month later, but Ford also framed the decision in religious terms, terms that go far beyond routine political rhetoric. "I have promised to uphold the Constitution, to do what is right as God gives me to see the right, and to do the very best that I can for America," Ford said that September Sunday. As God gives me to see the right: The phrase echoes Lincoln's Second Inaugural, itself a piece of American scripture.
Then Ford explicitly spoke of the "higher power" he had mentioned when he was sworn in. "The Constitution is the supreme law of our land, and it governs our actions as citizens. Only the laws of God, which govern our consciences, are superior to it." In a New Testament allusion ("Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him"), Ford said: "I deeply believe in equal justice for all Americans, whatever their station or former station. The law, whether human or divine, is no respecter of persons; but the law is a respecter of reality." The reality, Ford thought, was that a trial of the former president would most likely be unfair, drawn out and destructive. And finally: "I do believe, with all my heart and mind and spirit, that I, not as president but as a humble servant of God, will receive justice without mercy if I fail to show mercy."
This is an extraordinary thing to say: Ford was linking his own fate beyond time to his actions within time. The idea that God punishes or rewards us, individually or collectively, for what we do on Earth, either in our own lives or in the life of the nation, is rooted in the American story.
Joe Carter, of World Magazine and the Family Research Council, has written an informative open letter to the Religious Right. Take the time to thoughtfully read it and consider its implications. (My thanks to Justin Taylor at Between Two Worlds for alerting me to this post.)
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