"In an interview with his younger sister, Doro Bush Koch, the president said he was forced to make several difficult choices during his tenure in the White House, but added "I darn sure wasn't going to sacrifice [my] values."" (cnn)

...but it isn't all about you. being president of a diverse country where the values are more varied than the colors of our skin means that in making decisions you need to consider more than just YOUR personal values. YOUR decisions affect not just the diverse population of the US, but the entire world.

i guess, for reasons of cognitive dissonance, i tried to ignore the sheer egoism and blatant stupidity of our president because, in my mind, there was no other choice in 2004. in order to sleep at night i needed to be able to reassure myself that the country is in more capable hands that it would have been if the ketchup heir won, and honestly to this day i stand by my decision.

but now as his term comes to a close, im realizing more and more how ridiculous a public figure he is and why foreigners have the idea that we're rich and dumb. hopefully the next 8 years will bring us an america we can actually be proud of instead of something we have to turn a blind eye to in order to live with ourselves.