As I write this column on the day after the tragedy of the space shuttle Columbia, I have to think it has been an extraordinary week for America and its president, George W. Bush. One editorial writer put forth the thought that President Bush is a gift to the nation at this time of national testing.

The State of the Union

On Tuesday night, Jan. 28, the president gave the annual State of the Union address. What he said went further than reporting the present state of the nation. It was more of a vision. The president laid out a number of initiatives—tax cuts being one, aimed at stimulating the economy. He also addressed health care reform. One surprise was his call for an emergency plan for AIDS relief to help in the fight against AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean—including $15 billion of U.S. aid over the next five years.

This is a bold and a noble quest. It is hard to imagine the full extent of the horror of AIDS in these particularly hard-hit areas of the world. Whatever suffering is relieved by this effort will be good. While the causes of such problems are generally not addressed or solved by such expenditures of money, President Bush is nonetheless acting in the long tradition of American generosity and compassion.

The end of his speech focused on the impending war with Iraq. His language was clear and unmistakable. He intends to bring about a regime change in that nation and remove Saddam Hussein. Within weeks, possibly as you read these words, coalition troops, led by American soldiers, will likely be on the offensive in the Middle East. This will be an unprecedented action by America in that region. While no one can predict the outcome, this action is sure to have far-reaching consequences in the area.

On the morning of 9/11 President Bush was awakened to the urgent reality that a well-organized movement is bent on removing freedom from America and other Western nations. I believe he is a man for the times. His experiences have produced a man of character with the ability to connect with the mood of the American people.

Columbia disaster

Four days later, America was stunned by the destruction of the space shuttle Columbia as it flew over the southern United States. In his words to the country, the president spoke the words of Isaiah, "Lift your eyes and look to the heavens. Who created all these? He who brings out the starry hosts one by one and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing."

Courageous men and women have devoted their lives to the space program. They remind us of the human drive to push the boundaries of knowledge. Those who have lost their lives in space for the most part understood the risk they took. They lived their lives on their own terms and died doing what they loved best. Though their deaths bring sadness, we must accept them as part of the cost of personal choice and dedication.

In one week, we saw the noble qualities of generosity, compassion and resolve in the leader of the United States, and courage, adventure and curiosity in the six American and one Israeli astronauts. One day, in a far more perfect world than ours, we'll see these qualities magnified many times in peoples of all nations. When Jesus Christ returns, He will restore these qualities and more in the reign of the Kingdom of God. —WNP