Musings on the articles posted below

I hope the articles posted today will give you additional insight to the current situation. I despair of uniting the country. Lincoln couldn't, even though the existence of the Union was at stake. He slogged on, believing in his principles and was re-elected by a slim margin.
Peggy Noonan's take on the Inaugural speech surprised me. She said it was too full of religion... she who stands for Mom & Apple Pie. She was Reagan's speechwriter. I thought it was a statement of the G. W. Bush worldview. He is a Born Again Christian. I agreed that the intro to the post-speech song was too long and almost dreary. I really enjoyed the choices of songs, which I was interested in, surprising myself. It was his party and he did it his way.
I suspect we will hear about the actions that Bush's worldview influences in the State of the Union address. How we'll pay for it is always a question. The gist of one of the comments I saw today was that we don't have the manpower in the military or the treasure in the bank to support our wants; just enough to act on our needs. Compromise is always the way of reality. I hope Bush veto's the egregious Pork Barrel spending, though: seventeen percent! Unconscionable
The article about Cowardly Europe is interesting. A glimmer of hope that they may be realizing what their situation really is. I will search out the info comparing Iraq to Algeria. It essentially says that elections have shown the insurgents in Algeria that the populous don't want them. It made the point that none of the elections were perfect, but they were the turning point of the conflict.
Personally, I resent having to spend our lives and GDP in Iraq. The alternative is worse. Trying to balance on the world-power tightrope was a path to more serious trouble down the road, and probably a larger conflict. We can't seal our borders, or seal ourselves from the world. When you look at Africa, you realize that the 'Tin Pot Tyrannys' and their corruption are sapping the world's resources. The wealthy world is sending its monies, but most is siphoned off by corruption. Until those in power in the underdeveloped countries start valuing their people as a resource they will stay undeveloped. Trace the rise of Korea, no great shakes in human kindness, or lack of corruption, but it saw its people as a resource and helped them get ahead. Given half a chance (micro-lending programs) people will make the most of their circumstances.