[White House]

The Gamble.

This is Bush's great presidential gamble, in a nutshell. From today's Iraq proclamation, the last paragraph:

The story of freedom has just begun in the Middle East. And when the history of these days is written, it will tell how America once again defended its own freedom by using liberty to transform nations from bitter foes to strong allies. And history will say that this generation, like generations before, laid the foundation of peace for generations to come.

Bush sees himself in not only a heroic role, but a pivotal, historic role. Of course, most of us think it's utter nonsense--grandiosity from an immature mind. But here's an interesting thought. If history plays out like the neocons dream, will Bush be forgiven for everything else? Will he go down in history as a great president? I shudder to think, but my guess is yes. History forgives a multitude of small sins if a person has one crowing achievement.