November 7, 2004

COMFORTING THOUGHTS FROM THE NY TIMES:

The Red Zone (Maureen Dowd, NY Times, 11/4/2004)

[T]he blue puddle is comforting itself with the expectation that this loony bunch will fatally overreach, just as Newt Gingrich did in the 90's.

But with this crowd, it's hard to imagine what would constitute overreaching.

Invading France?


After a Red Sox World Series, a Republican sweep, and Arafat dying, all things seem possible; but an invasion of France is probably too much to hope for. I counsel Maureen not to be so optimistic.

But I think the "blue puddle" is right on its general point. Newt's accomplishment -- policy victories like welfare reform that have moved the public in a conservative direction, paid for only by a brief dip in polls that didn't cost control of any branch of government and the eventual retirement of the reformist leader to a respected and influential private life -- is precisely what we can hope for from Bush's second term.

Posted by Paul Jaminet at November 7, 2004 12:42 PM
Comments

As so many in the blogosphere have already pointed out in response to this Dowd column, there's no need to invade France. France has already surrendered.

Posted by: Semolina Pilchard at November 7, 2004 2:25 PM

An "invasion of France" would be more like that one on 06 June 1944— we'd be attempting to liberate it from occupying forces of the Chirac regime.

Posted by: Raoul Ortega at November 7, 2004 4:19 PM

As I see it, Newt was a very successful revolutionary who did not and does not understand governance. This is the problem with most revolutionaries.

Bush, on the other hand, is a radical but does understand governance.

Posted by: Uncle Bill at November 8, 2004 10:11 AM
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