To Those Who Still Still Support George W. Bush, Who's Your Hero? [Updated]

As the President’s approval ratings have dropped lower and lower, I’ve been thinking more and more about the people who remain in the Bush camp and what it would take to move them. After reading this letter written by Kevin Tillman, the brother of Pat Tillman, I am reminded of a time when my path crossed that of someone who I picture as one of those people.

In 2004, I participated in an open water swimming race in the San Francisco Bay. It was a fundraiser for the Special Olympics, and one of the associated events was a banquet during which numerous current and former Olympic swimmers who were participating in the race were honored. After growing up as a competitive swimmer, I was excited to meet one of my childhood heroes, John Naber, who won 4 gold medals and a silver in the 1976 Olympics. Of the current Olympians scheduled to swim in the race, the one I most wanted to meet was Klete Keller, who had been central to possibly the most dramatic moment of the Athens games, when he anchored the U.S. team and held off Ian Thorpe to win the 4 x 200 Freestyle Relay Gold Medal by only a few hundredths of a second.

During the dinner, all of the elite athletes were introduced and were asked to stand and share with the audience one of their heroes. This event was shortly after Pat Tillman had been killed in Afghanistan, and Keller gave a stirring and emotional account of his respect and admiration for Tillman, citing his patriotism and sense of duty. He actually came to tears as he spoke of being inspired by Tillman to go on to a career in the military to serve on behalf of this great country. I seem to recall several times when he mentioned President Bush as its inspirational leader, and it was clear that he was a strong supporter of the Bush Administration.

I left thinking that, while I probably shared few political views with Keller, I could respect the sincerity and passion of his convictions; and although I could imagine nothing that would change his mind about the policies of the current President, I wished the best for the young man.

After reading Kevin Tillman’s letter, which is a scathing critique of the Bush policies in response to 9/11 and which calls upon readers to honor Pat Tillman’s birthday by voting for Democrats on the following day, I could not help but think about Klete Keller. Is he still among those who steadfastly support Bush’s policies? What would he think about Kevin Tillman’s letter? Is he still among the 37% who support George W, or would he honor the request of the only person left who can truly speak for his hero?

[Update] I suspect that I may know the answer to these questions after finding a few strong hints on Keller’s website. It links to an article that describes his daily routine as including “watching Bill O’Reilly in the evening.” It also lists the following in his bio:

Hobbies Outside the Pool: fishing, Michigan Militia (a group that camps and does other outdoor activities.)

Yes, that would be this Michigan Militia!

The website hasn’t been updated for a while, so I guess I can still hold out hope that young Mr. Keller has seen the light.