The Occasional Observer

on the war in Iraq. It makes you wonder what the Bush Presidency might have looked like if he had abided by his campaign pledge to avoid nation building. Or listened to his Secretary of State and avoided the snake pit in Mesopotamia. Or, having decided to mix it up with the snakes, had he listened to his Secretary of State about going in with overwhelming force.

I know the President did what he felt he had to do, but what might his Presidency have looked like had he cleaned up Afghanistan, diplomtically isolated Iraq, and focused his ample political capital (as he described it post re-election) on reforming entitlement programs, pressing for school choice, getting his tax cuts made permanent, confirming more judges (where are the nominees, Mr. President?), etc. Just makes you think is all.