The quagmire was on the way to toppling Saddam and has been proven far off the mark. The long term quagmire was a much greater concern for both sides, but is quite a separate issue. Linkages such as these build distrust and reduce credibility on related issues.

The same group of people pushing the WMD issue are the ones that overplayed all the other issues including looting. Glad you didn't fall for one of their lines especially since I did.

Don't know what he meant by Saddam doesn't matter, but I take issue with the claim by many liberals that the toppling Saddam was an after the fact justification. That is patently false.

While I disagree with Bush's economic response I also disagree that he has done anything to make it worse currently. His tax cuts are a long term problem, but should have helped slightly or done nothing near term. There are many things he could have done to make the turn around quicker that he has not done, but that is not quite the same thing. I do give him a bad grade on the economy, but I think the reasons should be accurate.

Regards,
Mark