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I think we may be reaching a point of blog burnout. We've seen the "new media" in action, and frankly, while it's fun to rant and rave and find kindred spirits on a website, it doesn't amount to much more than jawboning over beers in the local pub.

We all know what the issues are. We all know where the blame lies. We've told each other the same stories so many times that the memories are worn. There's nothing "new" about the "new media" anymore.

I agree. It's been about 10 years now since the internet was the "next big thing," and all novelties get boring after a while.

There might also be something deeper going on. I wonder if the tide isn't going out on a whole style of politics. I began thinking this during Reagan's funeral (and also John Paul II's). The country has changed profoundly since Ronaldus Magnus was elected. I don't know if he could be nominated nowadays. Most of us thought the '94 elections would bring about a serious conservative turn in the country; although it had its successes, it never achieved the kind of social turnaround that we hoped for.

W's admin may be seen as the last "cold war" style admin. Look at who staffed it: Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al. All good men, but they came out of a time when Europe was on our side and the cultural values of the country were less disintegrated. I think the culture war is where the real action is now, and that means less overt political interests. Old style politics seems fatally infested with the burocratic elites--whether Republican or Democrat they are equally soulless.

There's also Iraq fatigue. Let's face it: much of our pride came from our military performance in the 80's and early 90's and the blunders in Iraq have bruised our confidence. It's not lost yet, but will take much more struggle and sacrifice before we can claim anything like a win. I say this as a Gulf War I vet (2nd ACR).

It's not lost yet, but will take much more struggle and sacrifice before we can claim anything like a win.

I've always felt it will take a generation for the seeds of what we've done in Iraq to bear fruit. There are too many hatreds and scores to settle that have accumulated over the years, and they have to play themselves out before Iraq truly can become a functional democracy.

But Americans want everything to happen yesterday, they have no sense of historical perspective.

Cogent observations. The war isn't being waged only in the halls of Congress; in fact, that may be the least significant front. We've got to win this one on the hearth. And frankly, I'm not sure we can do that. It's always easier to sell license than discipline. And the Left is superb at absolving people of consequences -- at lest superficially.