Dinner with the 43rd President by Amy

Dinner with the 43rd President by Amy - October 2017 Scholarship Essay

The 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush, dealt with so much during his time in office. After only 8 months as President of the United States, the deadliest terror attacks on America occurred, leaving him to make grueling decisions on war, America’s defense, and how to move past these horrific events. The Iraq War, the war in Afghanistan, and Hurricane Katrina also occurred during his time in office. I would choose George W. Bush to have dinner with because I want to know how he handled these traumatic situations.
I am so interested in how he mentally dealt with the attacks on September 11th. I can’t imagine the weight on his shoulders. How does one keep calm after hearing that thousands of people are dying and you have no idea how many others are in danger? In September of 2001 Bush had just begun his presidency and his first job had become handling the terrorist attacks in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. That is far from being an easy job for someone who is just getting settled into their new life of leadership. He had an entire country, from coast to coast, in complete fear. At this dinner I would ask him, how did you decide when/how the healing process would begin? People everywhere were affected and needed consoling. I have found so many documentaries on television about how Bush handled with the situation in office, but I would want to ask him how he personally managed it. Bush went on to get re-elected for another term and served for a total of 8 years. How was he not haunted by his past in the White House? I would be interested to see if he looks back and would change anything. Does he wish he hadn’t started the wars? Bush also dealt with the trauma of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It seems as though his presidency consisted of one national disaster to the next.
I would be so sensitive and terrified if I was in his situation. It would be fascinating to hear the inside story about how he dealt with the events because obviously he has much more maturity and wisdom than I have right now. I think one could learn a great deal about life by sitting down with George W. Bush and having dinner.