Bush was not wrong, writers are just not right

President Bush's farewell address didn't go well with many liberals. What else is new, eh?

Arianna Huffington unloads:

He was wrong about Iraq and Saddam and WMD. He was wrong to take his eye off the ball on Afghanistan. He was wrong about tax cuts being the answer to our economic woes. He was wrong about Wall Street being able to regulate itself. He was wrong about Katrina. He was wrong about torture. He was wrong about extraordinary rendition. He was wrong about warrantless wiretapping. He was wrong about Gitmo. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Calm down, Huffy! The only two things I may even agree with are Afghanistan and Katrina. However, he did own up to them and corrected the wrongs fairly quickly. Everything else -- Iraq, Saddam, WMD, torture, rendition, wiretapping, Gitmo -- well, America is kept safe since 9/11. I have to thank the President for that.

Gerard Baker, calling Bush "the epitome of ineptitude," among many other things:

Around the world the Bush name is synonymous with arrogance, ignorance, reckless insouciance, torture, violence and ineptitude. And those would be from America's friends. He leaves office with his country facing the worst economic crisis since (take your pick) Jimmy Carter or Herbert Hoover left town, two of his predecessors now firmly ensconced in the presidential Hall of Infamy.

Lots of SAT words there. Sure, blame the economy on him, too! Why didn't you write something when Bush's economic policies were making you tons of money in real estate and stocks? Please seek professional help for your Severe BDS...

And the President just can't catch a break, not even on the home front. Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), also the Judiciary Committee chairman, wants to investigate and probe the Bush administration:

First, Congress should continue to pursue its document requests and subpoenas that were stonewalled under President Bush. Doing so will make clear that no executive can forever hide its misdeeds from the public.

Second, Congress should create an independent blue-ribbon panel or similar body to investigate a host of previously unreviewable activities of the Bush administration, including its detention, interrogation and surveillance programs. Only by chronicling and confronting the past in a comprehensive, bipartisan fashion can we reclaim our moral authority and establish a credible path forward to meet the complex challenges of a post-Sept. 11 world.

Third, the new administration should conduct an independent criminal probe into whether any laws were broken in connection with these activities. Just this week, in the pages of this newspaper, a Guantanamo Bay official acknowledged that a suspect there had been "tortured" -- her exact word -- in apparent violation of the law. The law is the law, and, if criminal conduct occurred, those responsible -- particularly those who ordered and approved the violations -- must be held accountable.

I'm sure all in the name of civil liberty and accountability. Looks more like crucifying an outgoing president and his inner circle when Rep. Conyers enjoys the Democrat majorities in the Senate and House, and an incoming Democratic president. How about an investigation into Conyers' babysitter? Good grief. And this guy's the chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

But of course, it's all about Bush and not anyone else...

Capitalism won't fail

Ariana Huffington believes capitalism is as dead as Soviet Communism. For her sake I hope it's not true because The Huffington Post launched with V.C. (that's venture capitalist) funding -- around $40 million after several rounds. Surely she has more faith in the system?

This world economic meltdown won't kill capitalism and is not evidence of capitalism's failure. In fact, the meltdown exposes the failure of government overregulation and unchecked greed. Capitalism favors those with, well, capital (cash). The banks that have survived in this meltdown are ones with enough cash and not the ones betting everything on real estate properties and their derivatives. Same with car companies. Or any company for that matter.

People fail to realize that capitalism works with capital, not credit. Americans have gotten used to finance every purchase, from cars to televisions to furniture, instead of paying cash. Those households abiding the "cash is king" rule will do just fine in this economy. Same goes with companies. Firms operating with little or no debt will survive this economy. That's capitalism.

Ignore Palin, says the Huffer

Did Arianna Huffington figure out something that the Obama/Biden campaign hadn't? She offers the advice:

And it's why Democrats need to ignore Palin, and keep the focus on reminding voters about the stark contrast between an Obama and a McCain administration. It's tempting to prime the Palin attack pump. But Obama and the Democrats do so at their own peril.

Seems to make sense, but ignore Palin all you want, she is not going to stop campaigning. This is a no-win situation for the Obama camp, unfortunately. The MSM may not be in love with her, but a lot of voters are, and they want to read and see more of her.

In other words, Obama isn't the only celebrity in this race anymore. Gov. Palin is the new star.