Quick takes

Hugh Hewitt often broadcasts all or parts of major speeches on his radio show. Tonight he started with Senator Kennedy's speech at George Washington University yesterday. From what I heard, the speech sounded like a rehash of Senator Kerry's talking points from the NYU speech.

For those of us who prefer optimism in our candidates, Hugh also broadcast segments of Bill O'Reilly's interview (part 1 of 3) with President Bush. On his website, Hugh comments on the O'Reilly interview:

President Bush's interview with Bill O'Reilly tonight was a great exchange. O'Reilly asked pointed questions --tough questions. The president answered them with confidence and conviction.

This contrasts with Kerry who has not sat for an extended interview, or even a short interview, on camera with a journalist since August 1. Kerry cannot do so because he cannot answerer the questions without colliding with himself. So its Letterman, Dr. Phil and Jon Stewart. Some Commander-in-Chief, who won't even risk a meeting with Bill O'Reilly.

Bill asked questions about Iraq, the "Mission Accomplished" fly-on to the USS Abraham Lincoln, and illegal immigration over the Mexican border, among other topics. It's so refreshing to have a politician who has a consistent message. Even if you don't agree with the President, he leaves you with a good understanding of where he stands on issues. Bill O'Reilly's commentary on the interview is here.

Is Iraq really a quagmire? Yes and no. Arthur Chrenkoff is back with his 11th roundup of good news from Iraq. (The update is also online at OpinionJournal.com). He comments,

There are two Iraqs at the moment, both equally real and consequential. The Iraq of never-ending strife--the insurgency, terrorism, crime and all-too-slow reconstruction makes for interesting news stories and exciting footage. The Iraq of steady recovery, returning normalcy and a dash of hope rarely does.

Over at Real Clear Politics, editor Tom Bevan discusses Senator Kerry's 1997 speech in which he argued for pre-emptive action against Saddam Hussein. It was a good idea then, so why not after 9/11/2001?

Some bad news for Senator Kerry: according to an article in the Financial Times, neither France nor Germany expect to be sending troops to Iraq, regardless of who wins the election. Quelle suprise.

In my mailbag, I got an invitation to exchange links with Conservative Eyes, which is authored by Art Green. Go take a look at what a 17-year-old pundit is thinking about these days.