A Big Serving of W: Carping aside, Bush's Baghdad trip is reminiscent of FDR

Wall Street Journal ^ | 12/6/03 | Max Boot

[bdeaner]

The most compelling evidence of the success of President Bush's trip to Iraq was the reaction of the opposition. No, not the Iraqi opposition--or "resistance," as the French have taken to calling it. I mean the American opposition: the Democrats and the news media.

[bdeaner]

All around, a good interpretation, but I disagree with Boot's evaluation of the USS Abraham Lincoln "photo-op." It was an inspiring moment of truth, when Baghdad had fallen into US hands and when Saddam had been clearly dispelled as the ruler of his kingdom. It was a defining moment, but Bush never claimed it was the end of the story.

[ex-Texan]

*GOOD FIND* !

[Verginius Rufus]

Right now there is a de facto alliance between the Saddam loyalists, the Democrats, and the American media (or the 90% of it which is anti-Bush), to have Bush fail in Iraq. The Democrats and the media don't care about Iraq; they just want to recapture the White House for the Democratic Party. The assumption is that once we pull out of Iraq, nobody will hate us and we won't suffer from additional terrorist attacks. (They seem to think that all of our foreign policy problems are the result of having Bush in charge, except perhaps that Ariel Sharon deserves some of the blame.) It's obviously in the interests of the Saddamites to have the Democrats win the next election--they should be chipping in more generously than George Soros.

[Salem]

I don't care how anybody tries to spin the USS Abraham tailhook landing or the Iraqi Thanksgiving Day caper, they were both Kewl with a capital "K".

Controversy in Bush Administration domestic and foreign policy and all, I'm just enjoying the hell outta' this Presidency.  

[Cicero]

I would also disagree about this one: "The real test will be: Did he create a free and stable Iraq?"

No, the real test will be, did he keep his word that he would dismantle the Islamic terrorist threat by any means necessary? Let's not forget Afghanistan. And let's not imagine that Bush can leave office five years from now without having done something about Syria, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, at the least. This is a war, and the Iraq campaign is only one part of it. A big part to be sure, but not the whole meshuggah.

[optimistically_conservative]

The best thing about the President's trip is the statement that he is not isolated in the White House, deaf, dumb and blind to to where he can make an impact by venturing out.

And the (painful to Drats) knowledge that he can do it again, whenever he wants. He is building his portfolio.