That’s a valid inference, even if we simply consider the election a random draw. But, wait, there’s more!—the old “Nixon goes to China” thing. Without an hysterical right wing gnawing at his ass, Romney would be free to make a businessman’s analysis and, in the best of all possible worlds, recognize that this whole “War on Terror” thing is a monumental waste of cash, and slowly walk away from it. If Mitt really wants to balance the budget—and one can certainly wonder if he does—that’s where the real savings can be found.
The other way to look at it, of course, is that Mitt will be sure to bring in people like John Bolton and even John Yoo. The U.S. establishment is still longing to exercise “leadership” in the Middle East, which ultimately means troops. It may be Syria, it may be Iran. Who knows? But somewhere, somewhere, there is a crying need for U.S. intervention—limited, of course. No ground troops, no! Nothing like that. Just a few surgical strikes, a few gunships, maybe a tactical nuke or two. Hey, just kidding! We’ll keep it light! Really we will.
Okay, it doesn’t sound so good. My election day wish, which is certainly not a prediction, is a thumping Obama win, comparable to what he could have obtained if he had shown up for the first debate, a win that will humiliate the Republicans and promote discord in their ranks. I would love to see the Democrats improve their position in Congress, but that seems out of reach. The Democrats are likely to hold the Senate by the existing margin, which is an accomplishment in itself, but lose a seat or two in the House, which clearly will not be good. A pickup of one seat in the Senate and five in the House is surely too much to hope for, but it would be awfully nice.
Afterwords
Very belated kudos to the Washington Post editorial board for endorsing Obama and for having the guts to say that Romney’s budget “plan” was an out and out con through and through. Naturally, the Post is still pumping for “leadership” in the Middle East—30,000 dead in the Syrian civil war and it’s all Obama’s fault! Hmmm. Did the Post call for the Ottoman Empire to intervene in our Civil War? I can’t remember.
