My pessimism has shallow roots, though, and I’m all prepared to go to the distance – I just keep coming back to the idea that we have only two years, for sure, to cross that gap. After GWB, who knows?…

Andy, glad you’re back and safe and sound…

Anyhoo, I’d say your pessismism is fair enough for me. As I look back on my time there, there’s been plenty of times, where I feel like saying, “Screw it. Nuke ‘em all and let God sort them out!!!” If they’re so backwards, so 13th century, then cut them off and make sure they can’t bother us any more.

Then I look at the good news and think maybe there’s hope yet.

Regardless of how I feel about it now, my bigger concern is who replaces W in ’09 and the rammifications thereof.

For sure if our policy becomes ‘anti-war’ driven, I can only wonder how much it will cost us in blood, sweat & tears as we pick up the pieces of what’s left after the islamofascists wreak havoc on the West then. It will surely be a high price to pay for us to banish the ACLU, nutroots, multi-kulti fanatics & co forever to the ash-heap of history, should they ‘prevail’ in ’08.

On the other hand, even if we had a pragmatic sucessor, even cHillary, the so-called reality based crowd would continue their sniping and demoralizing campaign to no end on anyone deemed not to be anti-war.

So which is the better scenario? I’m tending towards the bloody but short. Let the lunatic fringe win and when the sh** blows up in their face, the grown-ups will take over and banish them forever from the political scene (Et tu UN?).

There is no heroism in cowardice and refusing to meet evil head on.

Carry on with your excellent commentary & insight, even if I don’t agree 100%

I respect independent thinking. My highest value is truth. My reading and writing goal is clarity, not agreement. You score high in all areas that matter to me.

However, in regards to pessimism verses optimism, you seem to be doing exactly what you are accusing others of doing. Isn’t is possible for an independent thinker to genuinely believe the world is a much better place and America is better positioned now than before nine-eleven without being rah-rah for the Republicans and the Bush administration? Is it possible that in your zeal to be objective and non-partisan, you have adopted a view of the world that is much more pessimistic than reality would dictate?

President Bush and the Bush administration seem incompetent much of the time. However, who in political America could or would be doing a better job? Gore, Kerry, McCain? Possibly Rudy, but he is not a sure bet. Who in the political world has done a better job in the last six years? The leader of … ? I can’t think of anyone.

Even though I don’t share your darker view, your honestly is appreciated as are your “wild words”.

Patience, Prudence.

elbogz, you’re exactly right – but here’s the problem. I’m with you and ready to go the distance – but I fear that the next president may not be. That means we have the duration of the Bush presidency, and maybe not much else. We have to at least be prepared for that possibility…

The Revolutionary War was hard, and we almost lost it all; but for God’s grace at a few critical battles. The Civil War of the young USA slaughtered a generation of young men. No one ever looks back and says, “Yea, we had those kinds of problems too”.

Freedom does not come easy, it is hard, and that is the reason we should cherish it so. We can’t just put a bag of popcorn in the microwave and then say, gee, isn’t the war over yet?

“When the facts change sir, I change my mind. What do you do?”

I come here not for cheerleading or because we are of like minds and opinions (even though we are) but for information, insight, and honest, honorable, and spirited, polite, debate. I get all of that because you set the tone and your readers/commenters follow.

Keep up the good work.