Popularity fleeting, former president tells seminar crowd

By Aman Batheja

abatheja@star-telegram.com

Former President George W. Bush told more than 11,000 people at the Fort Worth Convention Center that he was confident he made the right decisions as president, even if it hurt his popularity.

“Every single day I was honored to be your president by bringing honor and dignity to the office,” Bush said Monday afternoon, during his first foray into motivational speaking, at the day-long "Get Motivated" seminar.

Bush, who now lives in Dallas, spoke in a relaxed tone about a few lessons he'd learned in life, including sticking to your principles and living each day to its fullest.

“It’s so simple in life to chase popularity, but popularity is fleeting," Bush said. "It’s not real."

When the president left office in January 2009, his approval ratings hovered in the low 20s and 30s, depending upon the polling agency.

Bush assured the families of war veterans that he wouldn't sell out "their loved ones for the sake of pure politics."

"And let me tell you," he continued. "I never did.”

The former president also emphasized the importance of generosity, noting how many people were surprised when he promised billions in aid to Africa to fight the AIDS epidemic.

“Apparently Republicans aren’t supposed to be compassionate, so it was a shock," Bush said.

Bush also spoke about his faith, promising everyone in the audience that those people who prayed for him and his wife while they lived in the Oval Office made the first couple's lives better.

“From a personal perspective, I don’t see how you can be president without relying upon an almighty," Bush said.

When he spoke about his economic outlook, Bush’s remarks sounded like a Republican Party stump speech.

“Another principle I believe in is that you can spend your money better than the government can,” Bush said to huge applause.

He added later: “The marketplace works. It is fair. It is equitable. It is a fair form of democracy.”

At the end of his speech, Bush received a standing ovation.

Other speakers included former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who praised President Bush's policies on terrorism and foreign policy.

"We are safer than we were before 9/11 because of President Bush," Powell said to applause.

The event created several traffic jams into downtown on Monday morning. It was scheduled to end about 4:45 p.m.

City officials put out a traffic advisory Thursday, warning that parking lots and garages could fill much quicker than normal. Commuters were encouraged to consider leaving early for work, carpooling and perhaps even riding a bus or bike.

At the Convention Center on Monday morning, most people appeared to have little trouble getting inside.

Traffic was heavy and city buses came and went, but no major problems were immediately obvious.

Trent Simmons from Fort Worth said he had been downtown since 6:30 a.m. because he was meeting his friend Lee Uecker for coffee.

It wasn’t until after 8 a.m. that Uecker met Simmons at the convention center.

Uecker, who drove from his home near Texas Motor Speedway, said it took him a little more than an hour to reach the city, driving from Alliance Airport to Fort Worth.

It wasn’t until Northeast 28th that traffic started backing up, Uecker said.

Jan Jacobs from Dallas said it was a challenge driving to the center, but it was manageable.

Jacobs said she drove from Dallas to Fort Worth on Texas 121.

It was “smooth sailing” until downtown, Jacobs said.

Once she reached downtown, Jacobs said traffic was “stop and go” with drivers becoming stuck in intersections and waiting a long time at lights.

The Star-Telegram's Gordon Dickson, Bill Miller and Andrew Young contributed to this report.

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