Initial Reaction

Here's some initial thoughts on the President's speech:

--Hugh liked it, but then he is generally of one-mind with the President on matters of war:

President Bush was at his best tonight: serious, detailed, and above all, resolute. He spoke to many audiences.

--Glenn Reynolds: A bit late, but perhaps not quite too late. That goes for most of the speech (we're doing something about Iran and Syria? About freaking time.) But why did he wait so long to do these things that lots of people -- bloggers, too -- have been calling for for years? "Compassionate warmaking?"

--Everybody's favorite lefties. That place always reads more like a message board than any kind of collection of coherent thought and discussion.

Myself...I'm amazed more isn't being made of the President's acknowledgement that the mistakes of the last 2 1/2 years lay at his desk. After the way Democrats and the left begged him to acknowledge mistakes in the '04 campaign, you'd think they'd be happy as kids at Christmas.

I'm encouraged by the rhetoric addressing Iran and Syria. Hugh is right; it's veiled just enough to be unobjectionable yet clear: we know what you're doing and we will stop it.

If the previews were correct in their description of the details of this strategy, I think we have a shot at turning this around. It will still require patience and endurance and a political will that hasn't been much on display of recent.