Poor President Bush, so hated by "the world" and yet so incredibly popular at home. We all know why he's popular — he's a man of his word, he doesn't bend with political winds, he's willing to take the hard road and he means what he says.
 
There's one other president in our hemisphere who resembles him, a man in the middle of another terror war whose inhumanly vicious enemies have tried to assassinate him two times in the past week, adding to a long string of other efforts. And his response has been like President Bush's — to defy them and strike them and crush them, even harder.
 
He's our friend and ally, President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia. His resoluteness in the face of savage Marxist narcotrafficante terrorists is a stunning thing, as is his success in bringing Colombia's long—moribund economy back to life. Blogger Daniel in Venezuela offers some admiring statistics about what's happening in Colombia's vibrant economy. 
 
Why are things so good? Well, because like President Bush, President Uribe's got his priorities straight. He's taken on the terror war in Colombia above all else, and he's winning. Terrorists are on the run, the business climate is friendly, and people are getting jobs. Colombia has found a president who's serious about victory. The difference he makes is so distinct that even backpackers on the Lonely Planet bulletin boards, a leading indicator of sorts, are reporting that Colombia's beautiful streets are at last safe to walk again.  (A great travel secret!) Forbes' estimable Kerry Dolan recently wrote a good article called Safe Streets Act on the dramatic changes for the better in Colombia these days.
 
Amid all this, President Uribe's got one other thing in common with President Bush — he's incredibly popular. Today's Agencia EFE reports that his popularity has shot up to a stellar 74% today, according to a Invamer—Gallup poll. His job approval rating is even higher, at 77%, a five point rise above September. The man is so indispensible to Colombia that his own congress has introduced a bill to revoke term limits, allowing him to seek a second term in office.  
 
Like President Bush, President Uribe seems to be some sort of smile of providence on our nations in need. And like other enduringly successful leaders, he knows there's no substitute for victory. We can all rejoice about this.
 
A.M. Mora y Leon 12 22 04