Well . . . it's the end of an era; the Bush Era. Some are happy, some are sad. I'm going to spend a few moments to reflect on the past and project on the future.

Here and here are a couple of blogs that have done similar. Not surprisingly, I do not wholly agree with either or them.

It should be no surprise that I am a conservative. I detest neo-conservatism (which is neither neo nor conservative by the way) as well as party loyalty. I like to think I am loyal to ideas, not political parties. That's why I am not very popular amongst Republicans or Democrats. I actually have an ideology.

Without further ado here are my thoughts:

1) This day saddens me. Not because I love President Bush, but because I am a nostalgic person.

2) Bush dissapointed my conservative ideals. I don't know why people who claim to be conservative love him so much, nor do I know why people who claim to be liberal hate him so much. You'll see why I say this in a moment.

3) He spent waaaaay too much money. He was NOT a fiscal conservative.

4) He expanded government in waaaaay too many areas. No Child Left Behind, the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, his prescription drug program, the PATRIOT Act . . . and the list goes on. All of these were liberal ideas, yet liberals hate him and "conservatives" love him.

5) His foreign policy team was considered among the best ever at the time of its creation. Unfortunately, his foreign policy decisions did not turn out as well as he had hoped. However, all is not lost.

6) One thing NO ONE gives Bush credit for is the dismantling of Libya's WMD program. The day the U.S. invaded Iraq, Libya contacted British intelligence and asked them to set up a meeting with the U.S. to talk about relinquishing its WMDs. Libya did so without ANY promises from the U.S. delegation. This was a direct result of the U.S.'s desire to challenge authoritarian governments that possessed WMDs.

7) Invading Iraq was probably a bad decision. However, if anyone tells you for certain whether it was right or wrong is talking to you from a partisan point of view. The truth of the matter is that we just don't know how Iraq will turn out. It could be a great, fluorishing democracy for years to come, or it could become as horrible and despotic as every. No one knows. If they claim to know, they are speaking as a partisan, not a matter of fact.

8) I admire the fact that President Bush was unflappable given all the flack he took from his adversaries. Many, many, many people were downright hateful to him. Most attack him personally, not politically. I find such behavior absolutely ridiculous and frankly quite unintelligent.

9) Bush is also a man of faith. I admire him for that. Is/was he perfect? Absolutely not. Has he represented Christ well while in office? At times absolutely, and at others no, but that is no different than most of us.

10) September 11th changed President Bush. Everyone likes to rag on him, but can any of us say how we would have handled the situation differently? Probably not. If we did, it would be post-hoc. Undoubtedly, Bush was dealt a raw hand on 9/11. The people thought he did well, so they re-elected him. Even if we don't agree with his post-9/11 policies, we must always respect the fact that he had to deal with more in the post-9/11 world than any of us ever have or ever will.

11) Relating to the last point, there can be no doubt that President Bush loves his country. I cannot forget the many tear-filled speeches he gave following 9/11. The man loves his country and acted in ways to protect it. We should not fault him for that. We can question his actions and policies, but we need to remember that he did not want anymore American blood spilled on our soil.

12) Politics has been hate-filled during his entire administration. A lot of that comes from the 2000 election and a lot comes from the relationship between Clinton and House Republicans during Clinton's Presidency. I hope we don't experience that during Obama's Administration. Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking for people to give up their beliefs. I'm asking for people to be civil as opposed to the vitriol we have seen the past 8-12 years.

13) I don't fear Obama as much as others (and remember, I am a real conservative). He, just like GWB, will do what he thinks is best. No, I will not like all of his policies. I may not even like more than a handful, but he is the President of the United States. He deserves our respect.

14) There is no way Obama will be able to accomplish everything people are expecting of him. If he can't manage expectations, he will not win a second term.

15) Given Congress' far Leftward tilt, if Obama and Congress legislate from the far Left, he will not win another term. If he keeps Congress moderate to moderate slightly Left, he will be toast as will many of the Congressional Democrats.

16) And finally (unless I come up with something later), we ALL need to do what these two men are doing. We need to pray for our leaders. Pray for soon-to-be President Obama. Pray for his discernment, leadership, and wisdom. Pray that Obama relies on God. Many have questioned his faith, so make sure you pray for him. Pray for all those in government who make critical decisions for us.