Manufacturing Stature

John Ydstie this morning informs us that in light of Republican defeats in the midterm elections,"observers at home and abroad are watching closely to see whether the setback would affect Mr. Bush’s stature and behavior on the world stage." Is Ydstie thinking of Bush's stature on the world stage in 2003,early in 2004or later that year after his reelection, or perhaps just before last month's elections?

Next, Don Gonyea comes on to tell us that Bush, at recent meetings in Asia, was not the same Bush who "dominated these summits in the past." Dominated? (Was that with wit, intelligence, or his grasp of the issues?) But don't fear, after a sound bite of Bush recently saying, "we’re gonna stay in Iraq to get the job done" Gonyea says, "That felt like the old President Bush talking..." And then in keeping with NPR's current past-Presidents obsession, he tells us that "the last two American Presidents who served two terms in office – Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan – each overcame big political troubles at home to score notable victories overseas in their final two years in office.... President Bush could find a similar opportunity in the current chaos in Iraq or in ending the nuclear threat from North Korea or Iran..."

See, there just might be a silver lining in this chaos in Iraq: the chance for Bush to score a notable victory overseas - just like Reagan and Clinton.