Seeing into the future

Democratic leaders are finally getting it (Chicago Sun-Times, "Bush eating words on war's end"):

"George Bush is going to rue the day . . . that he did that stunt on the aircraft carrier,'' Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe said after I asked him about it during a breakfast with reporters on Wednesday.

McAuliffe also used the occasion of my question to resurrect another issue, Bush's military service. Bush flew to the aircraft carrier in a Navy jet and then swaggered around the deck visiting with the sailors and posing for pictures in his flight suit.

McAuliffe reminded us that there is still some mystery about what Bush "was required to do in Alabama in the National Guard.'' It's never been proved that Bush showed up for all his drill duties when he was in the Texas Air National Guard, and the controversy never got much traction in the 2000 campaign.

Said McAuliffe, "I do not think that he will be using the video of that aircraft carrier landing as part of the Bush re-election campaign.''

I said at the time of Bush's aircraft carrier landing stunt that the footage from that event was more likely to be used in a Democratic campaign ad than a Republican campaign ad.

I stand by my prediction.