Far-Sighted Follies

Yesterday, as we all know, was the fifth anniversary of President George W. Bush's unforgettable and unforgivable "Mission Accomplished" speech on the deck of a stage set (er, aircraft carrier) off the coast of San Diego.

Now that we're in the sixth year of an Iraq mission that has yet, and may never, be accomplished, the President and his aides talk a lot about taking the long view -- about how history will judge Bush well for his decision to invade Iraq in a war of choice against a dictator who, even based on the faulty intelligence at the time, posed no immediate threat to the United States.

As Rahm Emanuel pointed out on the floor of the House yesterday, Bush has some experience in making a decision and promising history will bear out his wisdom.

Said Emanuel, an Illinois Democrat and leadership member whose district includes Wrigley Field:

“Madam Speaker, in 1993, when professional-baseball owners were deciding how to rehabilitate the reputation of baseball, after the player's strike, they debated whether to enact a wild-card rule to allow a second-place team into the playoffs. Only one owner at the time voted against this: Texas Rangers general partner George Bush.

“When the rule passed 27-1, at the time the President said, ‘I made my arguments and went down in flames…History will prove me right.' [Associated Press, 9/9/93]

“Since then, nearly a third of World Series champions have been wild-card teams, including the 2004 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox.

“The rule helped saved baseball as history has shown.

“And just like his baseball predictions, President Bush sings a very similar tune about Iraq, he says, ‘History will prove whether I'm right. I think I'll be right…' [Whitehouse.gov, March 29, 2006]

“Really?

(Full discloser: Carl Hulse at the Caucus posted about this already. But I like it anyway).