"Thank you, Mr. President".(in support of George W. Bush)(Column)

If we know anything about politics and how its subtleties are typically discussed in the press, it's that the more "glamorous" a candidate who agrees with their views may appear, the more the press will pump up perceived (and real) strengths and overlook flaws, no matter how egregious. The poster boy for this kind of close-your-eyes-and-give-them-every-benefit-of-the-doubt coverage is, of course, Bill Clinton.

President George W. Bush represents the flip side. The pages of many a thesaurus have grown dog-eared and bent, reflecting the efforts of many a reporter to find new ways to trivialize/minimize the accomplishments, acumen, and political sophistication of a genuinely good guy whom they neither like nor understand.

Pro-lifers always knew different. We never "underestimated" him--the buzz word for the press's unwillingness to ever give him credit for what the President plainly deserved. Having either met him and/or watched him work, first as governor of Texas, now as President, we knew Mr. Bush was one of us, a man with a plan to help initiate a new conversation on an "old" topic: abortion.

When many scribes and pundits woke up November 6, they suddenly discovered that Mr. Bush is an enormously disciplined, thoughtful, and tireless campaigner for what he believes in. We're even told that he is no longer the "accidental President," but a man poised perhaps to be one of the most powerful chief executives in the last 40 years.

Thanks to his virtually non-stop effort on behalf of his party's candidates, Mr. Bush now enjoys the benefits of Republicans controlling both the House and the Senate. This is truly remarkable.

Consider: Whereas the party of a President typically loses 22 seats in the House the first elections after he takes office, Republicans bolstered their numbers by 6-7. Leadership remained in solidly pro-life hands.

Likewise in the Senate, where the customary loss in the first off-year election is two seats, the President's party won a net of at least two. (There is a special election in Louisiana yet to be decided.) At long last, ...