It' ain't over, till it's over...

[thedrifter]

It' ain't over, till it's over...
Victor Davis Hanson
Aug. 14, 2007

With all the news about Rove leaving and the president down to his last year and a half, with his approval polls not much above 30 percent, and the same old media chorus about the lamest of the lame ducks, etc, we forget that 17 months is an entire era in politics and the world often changes as we speak.

For all the mistakes-run-away federal spending that discredited the efficacy of tax cuts, the lack of a veto in the first term, too many uninspired but highly visible appointments, the disastrous immigration policies of the last six years, the equivocal occupation in Iraq (from the pullback from 1st Fallujah to the reprieve given Sadr to cumbersome efforts to make the perfect water, sewer, or electrical systems when ad hoc local ones were needed, et al)-we forget that all of this is still reversible and that in fact many things are in flux still.

There has been no repeat of 9/11, and for all the hysteria, al Qaeda really is scattered, and its rhetoric is wearing thin on the Middle East street.

Afghanistan is doing better than the media lets on. Korea could still disarm, and internal opposition in Iran is growing and its foreign friends shrinking.

Europe is slowly changing, and more worried about Americans leaving than staying, or not leading than preempting. The strong-arm rise of Russia and the endemic criminalities of China have sobered anti-American European diplomats, and much of the world at large. The economy is still good, and, at last, the border is starting slowly to close (I say this after listening to complaints of employers in the Central Valley).

If Iraq can be stabilized, then the enormousness of that achievement will eventually be appreciated and dwarf all else (taking out the worst regime in the Middle East and fostering a consensual society in its place, while defeating on its home ground the worst radical Islam has to offer). The Democrats seem to have ceased blaming each other for voting for Iraq, and demanding time lines of immediate withdrawal, but now are shifting in order to have a fallback position of "Well, they finally listened to me in Iraq and so things settled down" should Gen. Petraeus' report convince even some of them of real progress.

The responsibility of governance is not the same thing as easy op-ed criticism, and the nation is learning just that as it listens to our would-be future presidents-whether Obama's apparent Pakistan invasion option, or Hillary's pandering with pseudo-accent to African-Americans, or the obsessions of Mrs. Edwards with Obama, or her husband's continual embarrassment of living high in one nation, while lecturing others about the needs of the other.

I say all this remembering that friends used to tell me that in March 1991 George Bush would win by a landslide in 1992, and in 1987 Ronald Reagan would either be impeached or resign, or that after 9/11 and the despicable pardons, Bill Clinton would be ranked among our very worst presidents.

The point is that few know exactly how the country and the world will look by November 2008, but it may very well be that the U.S. will enjoy a position of strength and respect abroad and security at home - and someone still in office in late 2008 will get a great deal of credit for that.

Ellie

[marinegreen]

Another 300 killed and maimed in Iraq as of late, 9 more Marines die, how much longer do we need to stay and try to change a country with only 100,000+ troops over there,hell theres 6000000 million in Bagdad. We've got syria,Iran and whoever else helping out the insurgents so how long are we suppose to stay there ? And anyone who doesnt believe there arent sleeper cells here now and waiting till we drop our guard which it will happen, then they are living a sheltered life.Heres a senerio; Democrats take controll of wht hse, terrorist atttack again,peeps saying see I told you so ! Then republicans take control of wht hse,terrorist strike again, it wont matter whos running this country. People need to step back and look at the overall pic,we allowed all this to happen and reason being is cuz we thought we were to high and mighty, were lax on border security,airlines,homeports,blah,blah,blah, well take a look around you,WE GOT BIT IN THE ARSE !" and its our own fault.

[bootlace15]

post it so where else Marinegreen

[hrscowboy]

The sad thing about all this is i heard a republican party member mention the other day that all this has almost killed the republican party from ever being in control again.. Now thats really sad.. Its time to clean the Congress and senators that have been there for over 2 terms and bring some fresh blood aboard.. Republican or Democrate it dont matter..

[marinegreen]

The sad thing about all this is i heard a republican party member mention the other day that all this has almost killed the republican party from ever being in control again.. Now thats really sad.. Its time to clean the Congress and senators that have been there for over 2 terms and bring some fresh blood aboard.. Republican or Democrate it dont matter..

I agree 100%,and the fuqers should have to pay taxes,pay there medical,lower there pensions by half, pay there own housing. Some of them prehistoric geezers will be making more from the pensions then 4 -6 peeps combined here on Leatherneck.com