Dear Tom,
I wish you could have been there. Today I was privileged to be one of a small group being briefed by the President, Andy Card, Ken Mehlman, and Karl Rove.
The President came into the room with a big smile and a burst of energy and began talking about how everyone he meets says they are praying for him.
He attributes his confidence and peace of mind to these prayers. He starts everyday, as he says, “with the Good Book.”
Before the President arrived, Ken Mehlman gave a very upbeat report on the state of the White House and the morale of the entire staff from top to bottom.
Karl Rove spoke movingly about the events of September 11, how the President received the news at an elementary school in Florida, and upon seeing the second plane hit calmly and resolutely announced to his advisors, “We are at war.”
But it was Chief of Staff Andy Card who gave what might be the most powerful impromtu speech I have ever heard. Card talked about September 14th, not the 11th. That was the day the President spoke at the National Prayer Service, then went to Ground Zero and spoke to the rescue workers. What most people never heard about, Card said, was that they then went to the Javits Center where he was scheduled to give a short talk to the relatives of the dead policeman and firemen. The President did not give a speech, instead he spent two hours talking personally to every relative who was there. As Card said, this was not for the cameras or any of the media, it was personal. The president made sure he talked to every person in that room who had lost a family member in the World Trade Center. Only then did he leave with the advance team who had been urging him go for over an hour.
It was truly a privilege to hear from these men,
Deal
(Editor's Note: The following morning — Saturday, November 10 — President Bush addressed the U.N. General Assembly in New York and spoke of how the “Culture of Life must win over the culture of death.” We thank our friend Deal Hudson for bringing his orthodox Catholic influence directly to the leader of the Free World.)
