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Iraq and North Korea — posed too large a challenge for our wish-making capacities

Then the article fails to mention the Bush met the challenge in Iraq.

An amazing demonstration by the NY Times showing how out of touch it is with the major concerns of Americans. Contrast their statement with an op-ed by Powell today: Comments on Powell's "What We Will Do in 2004".

Meanwhile, according to the NY Times: In a presidential election year, the natural, ultimate political wish is that the voters demonstrate to the competing politicians that a huge campaign treasury is no match for fresh ideas courageously focused on the nation's true challenges, not on its constituents' prejudices.

[But the Times editorial contained no fresh ideas -- and nothing about their "fresh idea" pet project to curb political speech under the campaign finance reform ruse.]

That there will be no Bob Jones University moments of gutter politicking this time.

[But the Times was responsible for much of the gutter politicking by trying to pin a prejudiced-against-Catholics label on presidential candidate Bush for merely having gone there.]

That Election Day itself will not be sullied by the kind of doubt-ravaged, long-count vote tally that led to the sorry spectacle of democracy-by-litigation four years ago.

[But the Times has nary a word about Gore initiating the litigation or trying to ban military absentee ballots, or about voter fraud -- i.e., voting by the dead, the moved, the double-dippers, the precinct captains, the recounters, etc. -- or the endless audits by the media that all had the same result: BUSH WINS.]

Note also the Times offers no substantive editorial comment regarding the Iraq war or post-war successes (like the capture of Saddam), or the surging economy and declining deficit driven by (temporary) tax cuts, or Medicare (and prescription drug) reform (though more reforms are needed), all apparently conceded as lost causes for Democrats. Advantage, Bush.

Well, if that isn't about the most revealing editorial these jerks have ever published.

Iran and North Korea, which threaten to nuke the world, are insoluble, so they should be left alone. But we can all jump on Israel, instead.

Sure, that will definitely help. Let the villains go because we're afraid of them, but jump on a suitable victim.

As for New York City, my wish is that Bloomberg would be forced to disband the smoking police. I don't smoke myself, but I feel considerable pity and anger on behalf of those who do.

Interesting how Bloomberg's policy duplicates that of the editorial board. There's no hope in dealing with the really major problems, so lets jump on a few designated politically incorrect victims instead.

"The world urgently needs as universal a system of inspections and controls as possible."

Yes, let's continue with the ineffectual procedures of the fist-shaking U.N.

"an end to the global system of agricultural subsidies that allow the richest nations to shut poor farmers..."

And let us beat our swords into plowshares and let pompous dictators continue to fill mass graves with the bodies of their opposers or let proven terrorist leaders form plan and build their own nuclear weapons programs.

"... we have set our sights lower. We hope that Congress acts to shore up the nation's electric power grid."

Neither rain nor snow nor high winds nor felled trees nor lightning strikes nor floods nor hail nor fires at electrical substations so much as even caused my lights to flicker this past year. But God forbid we even try to tap some of the vast natural resources that lie below our soil to improve our domestic energy position.

"But there has always been a danger that the program will be too much about testing and too little about teaching."

Isn't a child's first and foremost teacher his/her parent? How's that for a novel idea in education!

"That Election Day itself will not be sullied by the kind of doubt-ravaged, long-count vote tally that led to the sorry spectacle of democracy-by-litigation four years ago."

Just say let's elect a Democrat and get it over with.

"...and our greatest wish for the new year is a dignified and steady march toward the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan."

Do I finish in agreement? Let's raise the symbol of who we are, high and again proud, that we are the Greatest Nation and we will never be cowed!

We need a UN type of organization for so called "news" papers to be run under. Sheesh.

Boy, I am glad the NY times is as liberal, negative, and anti Bush as ever. In reading this article you never would have known that the USA defeated Iraq in 03. Virtually every news agency listed the Iraq war as the # 1 story of the year and the Times ignores it. Nothing like balanced reporting. The Times editors get crazier and crazier. You do not think they will endorse that crazy Howard Dean do you? Of course not.

Here in New York, if we had one holiday present we could have given Mayor Michael Bloomberg, it would have been a solution to the city's endless and ever-expanding trash problem. Mr. Bloomberg came up with what sounded like a great plan for getting rid of the city's garbage, which has really had nowhere to go locally since the gigantic city landfill in Staten Island was closed. But it turned out that the transfer stations and barges Mr. Bloomberg had envisioned were going to cost much more and take far longer to put in place than he had supposed.

And for reasons that I have yet to discover, Virginia gave New York a contract for garbage dumping here, meaning that there are NYC garbage trucks crossing the Wilson Bridge, on their way to our landfills, which are going to fill up - and some have, causing the trash companies here in No.VA to have to travel further and I am now paying triple what I was for trash removal 8 years ago. As cost increases go, you can see the exorbitant increase in this essential cost of living! How driving 100 miles to dump their trash is economical, I fail to understand, but it must be - I've counted 30 trucks in one grouping, crossing the bridge. Heaven (and Richmond) only know how many more of them there are, every day, of every week!