Confessions of a Liberal Republican

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President's Vulnerability Swap [11/10/03]

More than two years since the terror attacks of 9/11, President Bush - who was once thought to be invincible in matters of foreign policy - is now being targeted by his Democratic rivals principally on the prosecution of the War on Terror. Rather than pursue their former strength (the "dismal state" of Bush's economic plan - which seems to be producing jobs and spurring growth in the economy), the Democrats are seeking to strike what they believe to be the weakest link in Bush's reelection strategy - Iraq.

While I don't buy into the whole "Iraq is Vietnam" argument, I am seriously concerned about the Pentagon's thorough and inexcusable unpreparedness for post-war Iraq. I was glad to see a few weeks ago when Bush took away control of post-war operations from the Pentagon and handed it over to Condoleeza Rice. If nothing else, this proved to Rumsfeld that he is accountable for his actions as well as his mistakes. Maybe Condi and the National Security Council will be able to come up with an effective strategy against the "insurgents."

However, while the Administration's efforts in Iraq are being greeted with, at best, lukewarm public support, the economy continues to pick up speed. Surprising growth last quarter, coupled with descending unemployment figures, has created some investor optimism, which could pay direct dividends for the GOP ticket in 2004. What is good news to the average investors and employees, however, is bad news for the nine Dems (Dean, Clark, Gephardt, Kerry, Lieberman, Edwards, Sharpton, Moseley Braun, and Kucinich), as they have been scrambling to find new issues, while at the same time trying to downplay the recovery.

PREDICTIONS: Economy makes full recovery, Iraq is on the road to stability by November 2004. Bush is solidly reelected over Dean.