George Bush hasn’t said this, but he should. Bush continues to insist the Iraq war was the right decision, recently saying “The decision to remove Saddam Hussein was the right decision early in my presidency, it is the right decision at this point in my presidency and it will forever be the right decision.” Meanwhile in the real world, the outlook is just a smidge less positive:
Thanks in part to the Iraq war, the next U.S. president — Republican or Democrat, black or white, man or woman — will take office with America’s power, prestige and popularity in decline, according to bipartisan reports, polls and foreign observers.
“The winner of the 2008 elections will command U.S. forces still at war in Iraq, Afghanistan and against elusive terrorists with a deadly reach. The U.S. economy will remain burdened. … America’s moral leadership and decision-making competence will continue to be questioned,” begins a study of foreign-policy choices for the next president, which a Georgetown University task force released last month.
“Restored respect will come only with fresh demonstrations of competence,” the study said.
Given Bush’s disconnect from reality, it’s pretty frightening that he has another 10 months in office.
