ON THE AFTERNOON before his televised speech to the nation on September 20, President Bush invited 27 religious leaders to join him at the White House and draft an ecumenical response to the terrorist attacks on America. Bush spent more than an hour with the group, talking about his concerns as president and listening to their views. Later in the afternoon, six of the religious leaders—a Catholic cardinal, a Sikh, an imam, a rabbi, and two evangelical Protestants—talked and prayed with Bush in the Oval Office. James Merritt, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, told Bush he had been chosen by God to lead the nation in the fight to protect America and the world against terrorism. "I believe you are God’s man for this hour," Merritt said. "God’s hand is on you." The president nodded.

Whether in a Christian or a more secular sense, Bush believes he’s been "called" to lead the country in the war against terrorism. He feels it’s not just by accident or luck that he’s president now. This feeling is reflected in the president’s speeches, his comments to reporters, and his conduct. Some who’ve met with Bush sense it in his demeanor. Several religious leaders at the larger gathering on September 20 referred to his calling. Bush and his aides have discussed it. One White House official, in an off-the-record speech, spoke of Bush’s role now as his destiny. Bush himself has often said he thinks "things happen for a reason." Karl Rove, his senior adviser, says the need to defend America and eradicate terrorism following the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon "may be the reason he’s president, the purpose for which he’s been put in office—his calling."

What’s the practical effect of this? We see it in Bush’s personal behavior. The religious leaders who met with him were struck by his calm. The most important speech of his presidency was a few hours away, plus dinner with British prime minister Tony Blair, yet Bush appeared to have all the time in the world to confer with them. Jean Elshtain, a professor of religion and politics at the University of Chicago, said he exuded a combination of humility and self-confidence. He said First Lady Laura Bush had "chastened" him for saying Osama bin Laden was "wanted dead or alive" and indicated he wouldn’t be using that phrase again. Bush asked for prayers for the country, the victims of September 11, himself, his family. They prayed, holding hands, and sang "God Bless America." There was an awareness, a participant said, "of a real calling here."

Nearly everyone who’s met privately with Bush since the attacks has been impressed by his resolve to defeat the perpetrators of terrorism. Bush has voiced this in public. "I will not yield," he declared in his September 20 speech. "I will not rest. I will not relent in waging this struggle for freedom and security for the American people." At the same time, he’s counseled patience in retaliating against terrorists. He’s not overeager.
Val:Y