Presidential embrace

Mary Patricia McFadyen, a native of Scotland, stepped up to the microphone just moments after being sworn in as an American citizen and thanked her friends and neighbors.

But another powerful influence in her decision, she said, was President Bush.

“Mr. President, I’d like to thank you for inspiring me to complete this process,” she said. “Without you, this day may have never come.”

For new citizens such as McFadyen, it was fitting that the president honored 72 new Americans and reflected on Thomas Jefferson’s legacy during the 46th-annual Independence Day and Naturalization Ceremony at Monticello.

His greeting to the audience — many of them waving red, white and blue fans to cool themselves on the muggy July morning — was simple: “Happy Fourth of July.”

But the 43rd president quickly delved into a more complex message of American citizenry and freedom.

“You all have one thing in common, that shared love of freedom,” Bush said to an audience of more than 3,000. “This honor for freedom resides in every man and woman and child.”

Bush is the fourth sitting president to attend Monticello’s July 4 ceremony, after Gerald R. Ford (1976), Harry S. Truman (1947) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (1936). The visit to Monticello was the first of his presidency.

“The Fourth of July will be a part of your Independence Day, and I will be honored to call you a fellow American,” Bush said.

He added that it is often easy to forget the role the American revolutionaries played more than 200 years ago, and how Thomas Jefferson played a key part in shaping the country’s direction by penning the Declaration of Independence.

“The principles Thomas Jefferson enshrined became principles of the new nation,” Bush said.

Naturally, Bush’s presence and remarks did not come without some hostility. Within seconds of the president stepping forward, cries of “Impeach Bush” and “That man is a fascist” resonated among the crowd. But the president responded by citing a simple constitutional right.

“To my fellow citizens-to-be, we believe in free speech in the United States of America,” he said amid the crowd’s boos.

One protester, Gael Murphy, held up a banner that read “Impeach: It’s Patriotic” and yelled, “Defend the Constitution. Impeach Bush.”

“Bush should not go unchallenged wherever he goes,” she said.

Some disapproving crowd members did not let the shouts go unchallenged.

“Shut up and sit down,” one man said.

Police escorted six people off Monticello’s grounds. Monticello Director of Communications Wayne Mogielnicki said charges are not expected to be filed.

Despite the protests and shouts, Bush’s demeanor remained jovial during the speech and swearing-in of the new citizens.

As each of the 72 walked across the stage — reminiscent of a high school commencement ceremony — to receive certificates, Bush gave handshakes, hugs and even kisses.

Others were similarly emotional as the new citizens were being naturalized.

“I feel like giving each one of you a great big bear hug,” said J. Harvie Wilkinson, judge for the 4th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals. “You might think that’s dangerous because bears have sharp claws, but it just means we want to welcome you in the warmest way we know how.”

Hataw Saadi Taha, who fled the northern region of Iraq 11 years ago, said she wanted to become an American citizen because the United States was the first country that accepted her after leaving the rule of Saddam Hussein.

“I am very proud of my new country,” Taha said. “Especially on the Fourth of July.”

Taha told Bush that she wants to see an end to violence in her homeland.

“Mr. President, I need peace to my country.”

Taha said she disliked the protesters who tried to disrupt Bush’s speech.

“Everybody can have their own speech,” she said. “But I didn’t like it at all, especially for today.”

Vesna Zeljkovic, 20, a native of Bosnia-Herzegovina, was also naturalized Friday. She looks forward to enjoying the rights of citizenship.

“It was mostly for the freedom of travel,” she said. “Get that blue passport and you can go anywhere.”

Security was tight for the presidential visit. Every attending person had to go through metal detectors, and military members patrolled on ATVs. Two police officers surveyed the crowd through binoculars from Monticello’s roof.

The event drew many Bush fans from Charlottesville and the surrounding region.

One such supporter was University of Virginia student Mallory Birckhead, who was wearing a homemade red-white-and-blue bow that had “I [heart] W” painted on it.

“I love George Bush,” she said. “I came to see the naturalization ceremony, but I’m also an avid George Bush fan.”

Rob Patterson, an 18-year-old Charlottesville resident, said he does not particularly agree with Bush’s political views, but still wanted to see the president at Monticello.

“Just to be able to tell people that I saw one of our ‘great’ presidents,” he said. “I wanted to see him before he left office.”

Larry Landress, a Pantops resident whose wife emigrated from the Philippines and became a naturalized citizen 20 years ago, posed for a photo with Monticello in the background.

“What brought us here is the significance of this day, our nation’s birthday,” he said. “We want to show our appreciation and love for our new fellow citizens.”