THE TENSION: The Decline and Fall of Western Civ Extra

A few tidbits missed the deadline:

Reuters reports former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev said the United States had squandered an opportunity to improve global politics after the Cold War. Gorbachev is limited to wax in critical hindsight on the total failure of Soviet communism to maintain and excel on the stage of world events. Gorbachev adds his voice to those of folks like former President Jimmy Carter and other leftist elites who at once condemn America for projecting a strong force of freedom in the world while complaining that American foreign policy is not doing enough for the world. As we are now seeing in Iraq, it's just plain hard to help those who are simply unwilling to help themselves.

I noted yesterday that KVUE News reported on anti-war activist Casey Sheehan's claims that she is a Nobel Peace Prize finalist. While the nomination cannot be confirmed, it can, however, be confirmed that Sheehan did not win a Nobel prize.

U.S. News and World Report says some Republican strategists are increasingly upset with what they consider the overconfidence of President Bush and his senior advisers about the midterm elections November 7–a concern aggravated by the president's news conference this week.

"They aren't even planning for if they lose," says a GOP insider who informally counsels the West Wing. If Democrats win control of the House, as many analysts expect, Republicans predict that Bush's final two years in office will be marked by multiple congressional investigations and gridlock.
Far be it for me to speculate on the lack of a loser's plan for Republicans. Frankly, I'm already weary of all the negative speculation from Republican pundits and the press. A more interesting thought is what it will it say about the Democrats if they lose. Do they have a plan for losing? The thought of Democrats bogging down the country with congressional investigations instead of fighting terrorism is scary enough as it is. I'm just afraid I'll wake up to a nightmare where Nancy Pelosi is Speaker of the House, Harry Reid is the Senate Majority leader, and the country is in the process of becoming a coast-to-coast version of San Francisco by way of Las Vegas. Happy Friday the 13th!