Bush - a voice of reason?

I've been very pleasantly surprised by Bush recently. On two recent major issues he served as the voice of reason, in contrast to the apparently hot-headed Congress and Senate. During the heated discussion on Dubai Ports taking over some American ports he kept asking for calm and pointing out that we must work with our allies, that the deal has been checked and that the actual security will be done by American services. Now, he is making similarly calming statement about immigration reform.

"The immigration debate should be conducted in a civil and dignified way" and

"No one should play on people's fears or try to pit neighbors against each other," Bush said. "No one should pretend that immigrants are threats to America's identity because immigrants have shaped America's identity." and

"No one should claim that immigrants are a burden on our economy because the work and enterprise of immigrants helps sustain our economy," the president said. "We should not give in to pessimism. If we work together I am confident we can meet our duty to fix our immigration system and deliver a bill that protects our people, upholds our laws and makes our people proud."

Wow! This is a stark contrast to the old Bush we used to know. Is it his low approval ratings, growth or something else? Either way I am impressed. This is exactly what the president is supposed to do - lead this great nation! I think this is the first time during his entire term that I've seen true leadership from him.

Unfortunately it comes at a time when his approval ratings are at a record low (hovering around ~39%) and so he doesn't hold that much weight anymore - especially with Congress and the Senate which are up for a re-election this year and if anything are looking to distance themselves from an unpopular president. Still, it is a breath of fresh air and I commend him for it!