Inflammatory remarks

I mentioned attending a graduation on Friday.  One of the speakers gave a beautiful speech about his hope that the children leaving the school would become leaders, not necessarily by becoming famous, but by doing the right thing.  His point was that those who act morally are inevitably leaders.  I thought it was a good point.

As part of this speech, the speaker mentioned that the graduates might one day follow in the footsteps of those who bring freedom to the world, to such places as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran.  Suddenly, behind me, I heard an irate voice.  "Is he praising George Bush?  Is he trying to say that George Bush brought freedom to those places?"  "Shhh," said someone nearby, and the voice stilled for a few minutes.  And then again, "Do you think he was referring to George Bush?"  

Frankly, knowing the speaker and the millieu, I doubt he was trying to praise George Bush.  However, as an honest man, he was noting the spread of freedom in those countries and, therefore, obliquely acknowledging that tyrannies have fallen in George Bush's wake.  Whatever his intentions, it sure upset that unknown man sitting behind me.  The temerity of that speaker to imply that, perhaps, just perhaps, something good resulted from the Halliburton Chimpy-Bush-Hitler War for Oil.