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Published May 29, 2009 @ 21:24 by Tania in

This afternoon I was one of the 6000 people who attended an event at the Metro Convention Centre to see former U.S. Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Thank you to my good friend who got the tickets for my mom and I.

Before today, I really wasn't a fan of George W. Bush. I had seen Oliver Stone's movie "W" and if anything, I felt it was pretty kind. To me, George was just too dumb to be President of possibly the most influential country in the world. I never really believed that he won the first election over Al Gore, and I was never impressed by anything that I saw or heard about him.

I also wasn't a fan of Bill Clinton. I thought as President, the least he should have been able to do was keep it in his pants for 8 years. Can't say I admire Hillary for standing by her man either. Last time Bill was in Toronto speaking, I was able to attend and I found him too practiced and cold.

Today's event was really enjoyable. The only issue was that it started 30 minutes late... There was a program of the event containing biographies of the two men. It was funny to read - Bill's was detailed about all of his humanitarian and volunteer efforts since leaving the White House while George's contained information like how he met his wife at a BBQ and the names of their dogs...

Bill Clinton spoke very well, and I thought related to his audience better today than he had on his last visit. He was smiling, relaxed, and funny. At times you could tell he was guarded; he always chose his words very carefully and was always thoughtful of his wife's position in the current administration. A comment I heard about Bill, and that I think is very accurate, is that he uses 40 words when four would suffice. I thought his response to Frank McKenna's question about his failure to act and the Rwanda Genocide was sincere and showed the pain and regret that he will live with because of decisions that he failed to make as President. You realize the enormity of the burden these men are under, when Bill Clinton admits that if he had been able to send in 20,000 American troops, he might have saved 250,000-400,000 lives.

George W. Bush was very light and bubbly, and in my opinion, really stole the show with his charm and sincerity. He didn't seem to be putting on any facade, but instead seemed to react to the questions from Frank and the comments from Bill with whatever thoughts popped into his head. The event was sponsored by TD so they had the big green leather comfy chairs on the stage, and it sort of looked a little like Big Comfy Couch. It was funny when Frank asked George what he thought of the chairs, and George said, "well, they don't match my tie." Frank said something about them being from their sponsor the bank and George replied, "well then I love them!"

Both men seemed to be on very friendly terms, and appeared to admire one another. Even though Frank McKenna's questions could have prompted debate, they both supported their differences of opinion. There was a little too much of them patting one another on the back.

Frank McKenna did well as the host, but really let the two former Presidents be the stars of the show. The only error I noticed was that Frank seems to have forgotten about the War of 1812 when he talks about our peaceful 200 year history with a shot never being fired over our borders.

The protesters were such on a non-issue; it is disappointing to see the media paying them any attention at all. While I support their right to protest, I was completely unimpressed by the showing. Maybe 300? Maybe 500? Versus the 6000 people in attendance inside the event. It was nice to see the police on horseback - those are beautiful animals!

George W. Bush - you have a new fan! I didn't like you as President, but I think you are generally a decent guy who was out of your league and did the best that you could have. You should have had a few smarter people in your administration helping you out, but you know what they say about hind-site being 20/20. You aren't evil, and you probably had more tough decisions to make than most. I was pleasantly surprised by how funny you were! Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Bill Clinton - you are a very bright man, but you, too, made some dumb mistakes. I guess that makes you human, right? It looks like you have found a role for yourself going forward, and I hope that you and your foundation do a lot of good for a lot of people all around the world.