When President George W. Bush leaves the White House next month, he'll return to being a full-time Texan.

The family has purchased a home in Dallas, but Friday's ecstatic welcome at Texas A&M University may cause a tinge of buyer's remorse.

This is Aggieland, and the Bush family clearly is beloved.

Graduates whooped and cheered from the floor of Reed Arena as Bush walked onstage for the commencement address. Friends and families of the students waved and took pictures from the bleachers.

The president's 21-minute speech was interrupted 25 times by applause. A few people in the crowd of more than 11,000 stood quietly with their hands in their pockets, but no jeers were audible during the event.

Bush clearly was happy to be on friendly ground and joked throughout his speech. He urged graduates to choose the right thing over the popular thing and spoke in an uncharacteristically empathic tone when referring to Texas, the state where he was raised, met his wife, watched his children be born and served as governor.

"And next month, when our time in Washington is done, Texas is where we're coming home," he said.

Friday's warm reception of the president, who has meager approval ratings nationally, must have made him feel right at home.

Aggieland's fondness for Bush has been clear for years. He gave the commencement address as governor in 1998 and visited the campus the next year after the collapse of the Aggie Bonfire.

About 70 percent of Brazos County voters cast ballots for him in both the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections. In 2004, bookstores and campus organizations set up tent sales of pro-Bush paraphernalia that was worn by students across campus for years.

Brazos County and Texas A&M have reputations for supporting Republicans, but their support for the Bush family goes deeper.

His father's presidential library is here and has brought fame to the school for more than a decade. George W. Bush was at the opening of the library in 1997, and A&M leaders courted the 43rd president's library by offering a plot of land across George Bush Drive.

Bush eventually picked Southern Methodist University as the host school, and A&M President Elsa Murano jokingly reminded him Friday that the land in College Station was still available.

A&M's strong military tradition may also be a reason for Bush's popularity on campus. He has always stressed support for the armed forces and cited several veterans on Friday as examples of courage and service.

He delighted Aggies when he appointed Robert Gates, then the enormously popular president of A&M, as his secretary of defense.

"When I asked Bob to be the secretary of defense, it was clear how much he loved Texas A&M," Bush said, adding that Gates refused to leave campus until he attended winter commencement. "And I was even more impressed when he insisted on standing during Cabinet meetings -- claiming he was the 12th Man. One day he explained it all. He said: 'Mr. President, I'm red ass.'"

Nationwide, Bush's critics have blamed him for a poor economy and accused him of mismanaging two wars.

Some characterize him as a divisive leader, but there was no divide in the crowd Friday.

In his speech, Bush seemed to indicate that he wasn't concerned about approval ratings, and Aggieland "whooped" with approval.

"There will be times when people tell you a different way is more accepted or popular," he said. "Remember that popularity is as fleeting as the Texas wind. Character and conscience are as sturdy as the oaks on this campus. If you go home at night, look in the mirror and be satisfied that you have done what is right, you will pass the only test that matters."

Comments

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13 comment(s) found!

Posted by: Culp On: 12/14/2008

Comment Title: Truly amazing
What is truly amazing is that anyone would not see that the news story of a failed sitting President coming to town would not include recognizing his unpopularity. Conservatives are almost, but not quite like France now, they are insignificant.

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Posted by: On: 12/14/2008

Comment Title:
A&M and College Station can have Bush because Dallas & SMU really don't want him. They just took him because of Laura.

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Posted by: Miller58 On: 12/14/2008

Comment Title: My Personal Opinion
Jamie you Troll... I will follow you all over this site if I have to! Here's my personal Opinion_Whether you want it or not: Austin, Dallas and Houston have large towers._Bryan and College Station will never erect a large tower or skyscraper until we bring in a contractor who can hire at least 14 -4 star welders, 19 - 4 star dry-wallers, and at least 8 - 4 or 5 star plumbers. Nobody associated with the Phallus Building has any experience hiring such a contractor. I will visit no buildings in Bryan/College Station until we get a contractor who can hire the 4 and 5 star blue collar workers we need.

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Posted by: Jamie@CS On: 12/13/2008

Comment Title: Change of Subject
I posted this question on another page...but since this board seems to be going nowhere and there's no unusual activity in Bryan today... I thought I'd ask what is up with the Phallus Building that Don Adam was erecting? There has been no progress made on that tower in a very long time.

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Posted by: On: 12/13/2008

Comment Title: quiet crowd
King Bush does not allow dissent...

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Posted by: On: 12/13/2008

Comment Title: truly amazing
sometimes, truth hurts...

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Posted by: Mark On: 12/13/2008

Comment Title: At home? More like "Go Home!"
There are good reasons for this President being as unpopular as he is, and not just here in the US, but around the world. It's all very well to say "respect the office". It was that sentiment, among others, that led many to turn a blind eye to the misdeeds appalling decision-making that have been the hallmark of Bush's administration. Blind undeserving respect and unwarranted sentiment should not be Aggie values!

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Posted by: On: 12/13/2008

Comment Title: The mirror
I wonder what he sees in the mirror? Maybe the young faces of those who died for a false premise in Iraq.

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Posted by: On: 12/13/2008

Comment Title:
Maybe Bush will do the right thing and pardon Ramos and Compean, but I doubt it.

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Posted by: On: 12/13/2008

Comment Title: Truly amazing
Typical Eagle. A full 20% of the paragraphs focus on how unpopular Bush is. A sitting President came to our campus to give the commencement address. The last one of his Presidency. THAT's the news. But then again, I've forgotten that journalism isn't about reporting the news, it's about shaping the news.

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Posted by: Truthbetold On: 12/13/2008

Comment Title: GetOverJingoism....Open your eyes.
I guess we know where ALL the few percentage of US citizens who still like him live. Most presidents try to do a few commencements (usually Harvard, Yale, Military academy). He had no other invitations. His alma mater Yale wants nothing to do with him.

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Posted by: On: 12/13/2008

Comment Title: "Right thing over the popular thing"
That's his excuse for getting us into Iraq.

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Posted by: On: 12/13/2008

Comment Title: Bush right at home in Aggieland
That headline says it all!

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