ARTICLE: 'A President Besieged and Isolated, Yet at Ease: Bush, Grasping for Answers and Fixated on Iraq, Remains Resolute,' By Peter Baker, Washington Post, July 2, 2007; Page A01

This strikes me as awfully sad, these opening para:

At the nadir of his presidency, George W. Bush is looking for answers. One at a time or in small groups, he summons leading authors, historians, philosophers and theologians to the White House to join him in the search. Over sodas and sparkling water, he asks his questions: What is the nature of good and evil in the post-Sept. 11 world? What lessons does history have for a president facing the turmoil I'm facing? How will history judge what we've done? Why does the rest of the world seem to hate America? Or is it just me they hate?

Almost six years after 9/11 and Bush is only getting around to asking these questions now? As I've written many times: Bush was just fine for 9/11 and the immediate response. We didn't need the "thinker" then or the tortured soul afraid to act. But by the national election of 2004, it was clear it was time to change. Bush had his limits and so did his crew. They were just not the gang to move things forward at that point. Problem is, no one wanted to run on the Dem side, and so Kerry was the best of the bunch. Apparently, no one wanted to run his campaign either, so Bob Shrum was the best of the bunch. And so Bush squeaked by again and we get this disastrous second term. Timing is everything.