A year from now, this week will be remembered. It will beremembered as the week Dick Gephardt's long and admirable careercame to an end, John Kerry came back from the political graveyard,and Howard Dean lost not only the Iowa caucuses but maybe hismind.
It will also be remembered as the week President Bush deliveredhis fourth State of the Union and demonstrated why he is presidentand the Democrats are hopelessly inept to hold that job.
Where to begin? We might as well start with everybody's favoritemetrosexual from Montpelier, Howard Dean. Last week I said as longas Dean doesn't praise Hitler, he should get the nomination. Mondayhe did the next best thing -- he went nuts.
While coming into a race as the front runner and finishing thirdwould humble most men, Dean was anything but humble in hisconcession speech.
Actually, I don't quite know how to describe Dean's emotionsduring that perplexing speech. Was he angry? Happy? On drugs? Idon't know, but apparently he memorized the classic patriotic song"Fifty Nifty United States."
Unfortunately for the Deaniacs, screaming the names of statesand yelling like an insane person does not a president make. Deanis done.
John Kerry may have won Iowa, but it is doubtful he can beatBush. Really, think of one way Kerry is more exciting than Al Gore.Looking French doesn't count. Stumped? So am I.
John Edwards, who finished a strong second in Iowa, is now themedia's favorite candidate. He looks young, he's from the South,and he's not consumed by rage. That would all be fine if he wererunning for president of Cordova High School, but being presidentof the United States has slightly higher standards.
Gen. Wesley Clark is the only other candidate left who has ashot, but if he doesn't win New Hampshire it's tough to see how hegoes on. Clark's big claim to fame is overseeing a risk-freebombing campaign over Kosovo and getting fired from NATO,reportedly for problems with his attitude.
Yep, that sounds like presidential material.
The man who is currently our president, George W. Bush, made allof his opponents seem rather silly in his State of the Union speechTuesday night by looking, well, presidential.
From the beginning, Bush eloquently pointed out the starkdifference between himself and the Democrats on the single greatestissue of our time, terrorism. They see it as a law enforcementissue. He sees it as a war. They believe the United Nations shouldexercise a veto over our right to act. He believes the UnitedStates should never seek a "permission slip" to go to war.
Bush is right. They are wrong. Terrorists and the states thatharbor them will not wait to strike until the United Nations tellsthem to. They will not think twice about murdering innocentcivilians or torturing those among them who dissent.
Terrorists respect only one thing -- force. Libya chose to giveup its weapons of mass destruction programs recently because it didnot want to become the next Iraq or Afghanistan.
As President Bush said, "No one can now doubt the word ofAmerica."
The war on terrorism is indeed a war, and we must win it.
With Bush in office, we will. With a Democrat in office, theoutcome is not as certain.
