Yes, it’s too early to see Dubya in perspective, but I know this: He fought. And he persisted. And when he was beaten he was too dumb to know it and at the critical moment he rejected the opportunity to gracefully retreat supplied by his father’s secretary of state. And his gallant opposition unanimously approved his irrelevant choice of new commander to ensure he would be wholly and finally responsible for his defeat. How ironic that six months later they found themselves having to ‘suspend disbelief’ at the disaster – political and military – that new commander had created in Iraq. Surely if the commenters on this blog can see it, some future historian will notice the irony.

In 1954 I put a full page Life magazine picture of Harry Truman on my 8th grade classroom bulletin board to tease my Republican teacher. When he discovered it he chewed me out for 30 minutes with genuinely felt fury. Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose.