His 'Bedrock Decency' Will Be Missed

George W. Bush may not be judged kindly by history, but he was faithful, consistent, and above all compassionate, writes former White House official Jim Towey in the Wall Street Journal. It was “little acts behind the curtain” that “inspired intense loyalty by staff members." To those who knew him, “the president's true character rendered his media image pure caricature.” It is the real George Bush, this man of "bedrock decency," that Towey will miss.

Of course, writes Towey—who ran the president's faith-based initiatives office—many “Americans, particularly the ‘values voters’ who helped elect him twice, will miss him because of what he achieved,” including his Supreme Court appointments, AIDS relief in Africa, and his education initiatives. “History will decide whether George W. Bush was a successful president. But he was faithful. He had a charge to keep and he kept it.” (More George W. Bush stories.)