As I was researching a "chain-story" I got via e-mail at truthorfiction.com I came across a few stories they have verified as truth about our President I thought I should share. With all the bad press he is getting right now we should pause and remember what this man is really all about (again, these can all be verified at truthorfiction.:

Story 1:
Attached is a picture of one of my best friends in the Army, Mike McNaughton. We were privates together in 1990-1994. He stepped on alandmine in Afghanistan Christmas 2002. President Bush came to visitthe wounded in the hospital. He told Mike that when he could run amile, that they would go on a run together. True to his word, he calledMike every month or so to see how he was doing. Well, last week theywent on the run, 1 mile with the president. Not something you'll see inthe news, but seeing the president taking the time to say thank you tothe wounded and to give hope to one of my best friends was one of thegreatest/best things I have seen in my life. It almost sounds like acorny email chain letter, but god bless him.
Love,Justin
CPT Justin P. Dodge,
MDFlight Surgeon, 1-2 AVN
RGTMedical Corps, U.S. Army


Story 2:
In a moment largely unnoticed by the throngs of people in Lebanon waiting for autographs from the president of the United States, George W. Bush stopped to hold a teenager's head close to his heart.Lynn Faulkner, his daughter, Ashley, and their neighbor, Linda Prince, eagerly waited to shake the president's hand Tuesday at the Golden Lamb Inn. He worked the line at a steady campaign pace, smiling, nodding and signing autographs until Prince spoke:"This girl lost her mom in the World Trade Center on 9-11."Bush stopped and turned back."He changed from being the leader of the free world to being a father, a husband and a man," Faulkner said. "He looked right at her and said, 'How are you doing?' He reached out with his hand and pulled her into his chest."Faulkner snapped one frame with his camera."I could hear her say, 'I'm OK,' " he said. "That's more emotion than she has shown in 21/2 years. Then he said, 'I can see you have a father who loves you very much.' ""And I said, 'I do, Mr. President, but I miss her mother every day.' It was a special moment."Special for Lynn Faulkner because the Golden Lamb was the place he and his wife, Wendy Faulkner, celebrated their anniversary every year until she died in the south tower of the World Trade Center, where she had traveled for business.The day was also special for Ashley, a 15-year-old Mason High School student, because the visit was reminiscent of a trip she took four years ago with her mother and Prince. They spent all afternoon in the rain waiting to see Bush on the campaign trail. Ashley remembers holding her mother's hand, eating Triscuits she packed and bringing along a book in case she got bored.But this time was different. She understood what the president was saying, and she got close enough to see him face to face."The way he was holding me, with my head against his chest, it felt like he was trying to protect me," Ashley said. "I thought, 'Here is the most powerful guy in the world, and he wants to make sure I'm safe.' I definitely had a couple of tears in my eyes, which is pretty unusual for me."The photo has been circulating across the country, Faulkner said. Relatives have passed it on to friends, bosses and acquaintances. As they tell the story, they also share in Wendy Faulkner's legacy, which her family continues through the Wendy Faulkner Memorial Children's Foundation."I'm a pretty cynical and jaded guy at this point in my life," Faulkner said of the moment with the president. "But this was the real deal. I was really impressed. It was genuine and from the heart."


Story 3:
Subject: Bush in church, Very interesting
I'm at the 8:00am service at my church, St. John's Episcopal, at
Lafayette Square, across from the White House. (I wanted to go early
because I was going with Alice and Brent for breakfast at the Cracker
Barrel in Manassas.) Much of the service was uneventful--nice, but
uneventful--until it comes to the part of the service when the priest
says, "Greet one another in the name of the Lord." I turn to my right to
exchange the peace with my friend, Amy Fox Smythe, who was was on the
other end of my pew. I then shake hands with the person in front of me,
and turn around to say hello to the person behind me. The person behind me
was our 43rd President George W. Bush. I am not kidding. A small crowd was
forming around him, and not wanting to delay the church service or bother
him by waiting to shake his hand, I turned back around and sat down and
talked to Amy. About 30 seconds later I felt a hand on my left shoulder
and turn around to see President Bush with his hand extended. "Peace of
the Lord, " he said and held my hand with both of his. "Peace of the
Lord," I replied, and held both his hands and smiled at him. I turned back
around and was remarkably calm about the fact that the most powerful
person in the world was sitting two feet behind me. I could hear him
flipping through his bulletin as the priest made the announcements. I
loved the idea of him thinking, "Oh, there's a covered dish next Sunday."
We perched and when I stood up to go to the communion rail, he got up and
walked down the aisle behind me. We passed a little old lady who said,
"Mr. President, I pray for you every day." To which he said, "That's a
very special gift. Thank you so much." We got to the communion rail and
there were two spaces, one in front of us and one around the side of the
altar. We both surmised for ten seconds and then I started off around the
corner. He stopped me and whispered, "No, no. I'll go around" and motioned
for me to take the closer spot. The only exception made in the entire
service was that the President was allowed to leave first and then the
rest of the congregation followed.

With all sincerity, and partisanship aside I tell you: This is a special
man! There is a peace and a Godliness about him. It radiates from him. It
is the only reason that I was able to remain calm. It was more than the
adrenaline I've felt when I've met other famous people. A goodness flows
through this man. He has more than my vote in November. He has my respect,
my prayers, and my gratitude. Whatever your political affiliation, and
whether or not you agree with his decisions, you should take comfort in
the fact that--despite recent press attacks--this is a man of integrity
who makes decisions because he believes that they are RIGHT, not popular. He
makes these decisions with a heavy heart and through prayer.

I don't mean to go on, and on, but I truly believe this was a blessing
from God that should be passed on.


Laura Lefler
Office of Senator Lamar Alexander
302 Hart Senate Office Building

Story 4:
At the Foot of the CrossA Story You Haven't Heard
Angel Tree, our Prison Fellowship program for prisoners' children, is one of the great unheralded volunteer outreaches in America. Over the Christmas holidays these past few weeks, approximately 100,000 volunteers delivered Angel Tree gifts to more than 525,000 children of inmates.
You didn't read about this in the newspapers, nor would I expect that you should. It's not really that newsworthy that Christians help people in need. But there are two of our volunteers, who delivered forty presents, that I think you should have read about but didn't. For reasons best known to themselves, the media ignored the fact that two of the volunteers were President and Mrs. George Bush. And they delivered gifts to forty inner-city kids in a church basement three days before Christmas.
President and Mrs. Bush arrived at three-o'clock, Monday, December 22, at the Shiloh Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia. Now, presidents don't move anywhere without a great deal of fuss. The police were out, the roads blocked, and Secret Service were roaming around the church. And when the president arrived, he was accompanied not only by his own team, but also by a pool of reporters, forty or so members of the press. For ten minutes they popped their flashbulbs, scribbled their notes, and then were ushered out.
I remember from my days with President Nixon what photo opportunities are: Get the picture and leave. So I thought the Bushes would shortly depart, but they didn't. They stayed long after the cameras were gone to greet every child, to have their picture taken with them, their mothers, and their grandmothers, to talk with them, and to ask questions. Though the press didn't report it, I noticed that both the president and Mrs. Bush talked to the Hispanic children in Spanish.
Just before the president left, I introduced him to Al Lawrence, a member of our staff. I told the president that I had met Al more than twenty years ago in a prison. Jesus had got hold of Al's life, and he's been working for us ever since. Then I told the president that Al's son was now a freshman at Yale. At that point the president stopped, exclaimed, "We're both Yale parents," and threw his arms around Al Lawrence-an African-American ex-offender being embraced by the president of the United States in a church basement. The ground is indeed level at the foot of the cross.
I tell you this story because it's a wonderful Christmas story, and you probably haven't heard it. With all those reporters who crowded into that basement, the visit resulted in almost universal media silence.
I suppose there are many explanations for this, but I'll offer mine. The president is a Christian who really cares for "the least of these," who does this not for photo ops, but because he's genuine. That is something that his detractors in the media simply can't handle. Conservatives caring for the poor? Never. It dashes the stereotypes.
But surely Christians ought to be rejoicing that the most powerful man in the world and his wife, a couple of days before Christmas, had a wonderful visit with the most powerless people in our society.
After all, that echoes the Christmas message, doesn't it? The most powerful came to be with the least powerful to give us hope.

Story 5
From A Capt in Iraq (Tyson Daniels):
We knew there was a dinner planned with Ambassador Bremer and LTG Sanchez. There were 600 seats available and all the units in the division were tasked with filling a few tables. Naturally, the 501st MI battalion got our table. Soldiers were grumbling about having to sit through another dog-and-pony show, so we had to pick soldiers to attend. I chose not to go. But, about 1500 the G2, LTC Devan, came up to me and with a smile, asked me to come to dinner with him, to meet him in his office at 1600 and bring a camera. I didn't really care about getting a picture with Sanchez or Bremer, but when the division's senior intelligence officer asks you to go, you go.
We were seated in the chow hall, fully decorated for Thanksgiving when aaaaallllll kinds of secret service guys showed up. That was my first clue, because Bremer's been here before and his personal security detachment is not that big. Then BG Dempsey got up to speak, and he welcomed ambassador Bremer and LTG Sanchez. Bremer thanked us all and pulled out a piece of paper as if to give a speech. He mentioned that the President had given him this thanksgiving speech to give to the troops. He then paused and said that the senior man present should be the one to give it. He then looked at Sanchez, who just smiled. Bremer then said that we should probably get someone more senior to read the speech.
Then, from behind the camouflage netting, the President of the United States came around. The mess hall actually erupted withhollering. Troops bounded to their feet with shocked smiles and just began cheering with all their hearts. The building actually shook. It was just unreal. I was absolutely stunned. Not only for the obvious, but also because I was only two tables away from the podium. There he stood, less than thirty feet away from me! The cheering went on and on and on. Soldiers were hollering, cheering,and a lot of them were crying. There was not a dry eye at my table.
When he stepped up to the cheering, I could clearly see tears running down his cheeks. It was the most surreal moment I've had in years. Not since my wedding and son being born. Here was this man, our President, came all the way around the world, spending 17 hours on an airplane and landing in the most dangerous airport in the world, where a plane was shot out of the sky not six days before. Just to spend two hours with his troops. Only to get on a plane and spend another 17 hours flying back. It was a great moment, and I will never forget it.He delivered his speech, which we all loved, when he looked right at me and held his eyes on me.
Then he stepped down and was just mobbed by the soldiers. He slowly worked his way all the way around the chow hall and shook every last hand extended. Every soldier who wanted a photo with the President got one. I made my way through the line, got dinner, then wolfed it down as he was still working the room. You could tell he was really enjoying himself. It wasn't just a photo opportunity. This man was actually enjoying himself! He worked his way over the course of about 90 minutes towards my side of the room.
Meanwhile, I took the opportunity to shake a few hands. I got a picture with Ambassador Bremer, Talabani (acting Iraqi president) and Achmed Chalabi (another member of the ruling council) and Condaleeza Rice, who was there with him. I felt like I was drunk.
He was getting closer to my table so I went back over to my seat. As he passed and posed for photos, he looked me in theeye and said, "How you doin', captain." I smiled and said "God bless you, sir." To which he responded "I'm proud of what you do, captain." Then moved on.