Although he occupied centerstage for only a short period of time, Emile Bitar had a major and lasting impact on the political consciousness of his countrymen, for the key decisions of his political career were based on moral principle. In a country plagued by corruption and patronage, he displayed character, integrity, and commitment to serving the national interest above all personal and sectarian considerations. In a country were most politicians look for outside support and foreign patrons, he remained utterly and quasi-obsessively independent. Thus he personified the new statesman that the Lebanese were longing for and rarely has a public figure been so much loved, respected and admired by the people.

Wholly oblivious to the squabbling and bickering, the wheelings, dealings and manoeuverings of traditional Lebanese politicians, Emile Bitar was able to remain above the fray, to levitate above the sectarian factions. Constantly repeating Abraham Lincoln's quote that "A house divided against itself cannot stand", he never ceased urging the Lebanese not to be instrumentalized by regional powers and to rely only upon themselves in their struggle for national sovereignty, independence and nation-building.