^{NOTE:  The following text is NOT a transcript of this video.}  

I've had some time for reflection since the end of the 28 Attacks in 28 Days initiative.  I think it has allowed me to clear my head a little, and to realize that the doom that I foresaw was perhaps misguided, or at the very least, overstated.  I think what I lost sight of, in the final result, was the Glass Half Full, and the truism that All Good Things Must Come To An End.  President Obama was, in a way, fated to become President so that, at long last, he can prove to all the doubters what a truly great leader George W. Bush has been.  

It has been a glorious 8 years.  We must never forget all the wonderful things that have happened.  Most importantly, we mustn't allow ourselves to become blinded by all the hardships that the country is currently experiencing, as if they were some kind of a "result" of what immediately preceded their occurence.  That is lazy thinking, folks.  I'm reminded of the oft-quoted scenario of the rooster crowing and believing that it was he who caused the sun to rise.  We must be careful not to apply hastily-derived Cause & Effect theories which make it look as if the Bush Administration's policies caused anything but positive outcomes.  

The press has been overflowing with opinion pieces listing one grave problem after another, and of course, the lion's share of them put the blame squarely at the feet of our 43rd President and his stalwart VP.  But these so-called problems and "failures" are easily explained, to anyone willing to listen with an open mind:

<sup>TORTURE:  We don't do it.  We do not torture.  Anyone who says we did is simply Torturing The Truth.  End of story.

THE IRAQ WAR:  Freedom and liberty.  We killed Saddam.  That means we won.  The rest is just nit-picking.

9/11:  Clinton's fault.

ILLEGAL WIRE-TAPPING:  There is no law that says that illegal wire-tapping is a crime.  In fact, illegal wire-tapping is actually legal.  The law proves it.  Plus, any crime that occurred in the past is no longer a violation of law, because one cannot prove (or disprove) something which has already happened.  In conclusion, let's just move on to the next one...      

KATRINA:  Okay, the key word here is "restraint."  Imagine all the problems that could have occurred if President Bush had made more of an effort to help people.  Honestly-- we could be at war with New Orleans right now.  Instead, he wisely chose to apply his free market principles to allow the catastrophe to run its course.  Bush's subtle reaction to this crisis won't be appreciated until long after we are all dead.

THE ECONOMIC CRISIS:  Caused by the Democrat-controlled congress.  And The Poor, whose poverty, it turns out, is contagious.</sup>  

See?  Was that so hard?  Simple, easy-to-understand answers for every charge.  I'm sure the complainers out there could come up with three or four other supposed "stains" on The Bush Legacy, but you can probably just slightly re-phrase one of the above answers and it will take care of all of them.  After all, 9/11 changed everything. 

And so:  with Bush and Cheney riding off into the sunset, and a new president assuming the mantle of power, where does that leave Mortimer Hayden Smyth?  The party I'm affiliated with in tatters, my ideology is on the defensive, and I find that my own personal influence in the corridors of power is at a low ebb.  And yet:  I am filled with optimism for the coming year.

No, I have not come down with a case of Obama Fever.  I still feel that he is the Most Dangerous Man In The History Of The Universe.  The reason I feel optimism is that the game has now changed, and to my advantage.  Because while leadership and good governance are both extremely difficult, complaining and casting blame is easy.  I know what I'm good at, and I know what I'd rather be doing.  

2009 is looking very good indeed.