The President's Vision for the Future.(a world of life after the war)

Out of the ruins of September 11, a man with a new vision for the world has been subtly but steadily weaving his dream for a better world into the consciousness of a nation. Just as Pope John Paul II and Ronald Reagan could envision a world without the tyranny of communism, George W. Bush has a vision for a post-terrorism world - - a world based on a culture of life.

Vision, or "the vision thing," as some call it, is the ability of a leader to see the possibility of a new and better world, combined with his ability to lead us there. Whether or not one has this rare combination of skills is often what differentiates a good leader from a great one.

And a few minutes in serious conversation with the current President leaves no doubt that Bush has it.

The White House recently invited 25 leaders of National Right to Life to meet with President Bush on Jan. 21, a day before the 29th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. As the nation's largest right to life organization, with a network of 50 state affiliates and over 3,000 community chapters, NRL has shepherded a movement that now can claim significant successes, both educationally and legislatively. Today, there are 280,000 fewer abortions annually than there were a decade ago, polls show a majority of Americans now identify with pro-life positions, and even young people are becoming more pro-life.

But even with these gains, NRL never wastes an opportunity to discuss with an elected official the need to further advance the cause of life. The meeting with the President was a great opportunity for the group and its cause.

What the group's leaders found was a committed, principled man who was not only settled in his deeply held personal beliefs about the value of each and every human being, but could now place those beliefs into the context of the threat to life represented by the terrorist attacks of September 11. Further, he is already formulating his vision of an America and a world after the war; a world with a renewed sense of compassion and personal responsibility, a climate which Bush believes would be good for the cause of protecting innocent human life.

Right to Life leaders had a chance to engage Bush on several key issues. His pro-life viewpoint is well known; he has often said, and he emphasized for the group, that he believes "every unborn child should be welcomed in life and protected in law."