SACRAMENTO, CA - The president came to my hometown October 18 and I had the honor to be on stage with him as he delivered a stirring speech that made one proud to be an American. America is at war, but the cliché that war makes leaders is not true--look at Neville Chamberlain. In reality, true leaders must rise to the challenge of calamity, and that is exactly what George W. Bush has done. Listening to him in person, as I did on that October morning in Sacramento, and you know in your bones that although terrorists may have America under siege, we have a commander-in-chief who will ensure that we prevail in this deadly struggle.

The setting for the president’s speech was appropriate. Sacramento’s old Memorial Auditorium evokes memories of World War II-era rallies and USO shows. For the presidential visit, a torrent of red, white, and blue bunting hung from the antique balconies. We may be facing a new and different type of warfare, but President Bush peppered his speech with old-fashioned American resolve--the kind of resolve that typified the grit of America’s “greatest generation.” His simple message: America will not be defeated.

The president touched on a variety of issues: the fighting in Afghanistan, homeland security in the wake of the anthrax attacks, his legislation that would increase domestic energy production and reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources, and his economic stimulus package that includes speeded-up tax relief for individuals and more tax cuts for business. Although the substance of the president’s message was important, it was his choice of words and his delivery that lifted the spirits of his audience.

As in previous addresses over the last month, the president kept referring to the “evildoers” and the “evil ones.” Like Ronald Reagan, who referred to the communist Soviet Union as the “evil empire,” George W. Bush recognizes that Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network and allies are our enemy not simply because they oppose American interests, but because they ferociously violate fundamental laws of right and wrong. Unlike the pathetic relativists of the so-called “peace” movement, President Bush realizes that we are involved in a true moral struggle against false prophets and their minions, i.e. evil ones. He is right, and the massive cheers of his audience indicate that average Americans know he is right.

Being a former speechwriter, it also strikes me that Americans are responding positively to President Bush’s message because of critical intangibles. As opposed to his predecessor, there is no mistaking the fact that George W. Bush is sincere in what he says. His words do not reflect polls or focus groups, but his true feelings and his belief in what is right. Although he uses strong language, he does not come across as arrogant or a braggart. Rather, he exudes the sort of quiet confidence and determination that Americans have always found admirable. No wonder that so many Americans, including myself, feel comfortable placing their trust in this man from Texas.

It was a great day in Sacramento, and whatever may come our nation’s way in the future, at the end of the president’s speech one felt certain that we have the right man in the job to deal with our adversities and our adversaries.

Lance Izumi is a Senior Fellow in California Studies at the California-based Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy. He can be reached via email at lizumi@pacificresearch.org.