Losers!

Americans hate losing and love winning! I’ve had experience with both. In 1980, I lost a round robbin ping pong match with my sons – as I recall I wasn’t wearing proper foot wear, and, recently, I was nosed out in a golf match with my buddy, Lewis, in which I was suffering greatly from an injury that I didn’t claim because of my strength of character.

I ran for public office three times in the town to which I retired and won each time. I won’t say I was scared even a little in those races, but I have stopped shaking now that decade has passed since that first race.

This morning, I read with interest Richard Holbrooke’s expansive op-ed piece in the Washington Post. Mr. Holbrooke tears apart – effectively, in my judgment – the failure of the Bush Administration in the War on Terror. (I’ve linked the article so you can decide.)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/08/AR2005090801857.html

But Mr. Holbrooke is a fortunate man this morning. He is not – as Wolf Blitzer of CNN would echo, “NOT” – the United States Secretary of State. Had John F. Kerry won the White House, Mr. Holbrooke would have been the leading candidate to occupy the biggest office in Foggy Bottom.

So, regardless of how effectively President Kerry and Secretary Holbrooke were managing the debacle in Iraq and the War on Terror in their still new administration, the Secretary would not be penning long thoughtful articles on how to deal with Osama bin Laden; he’d been back filling on the government response to Katrina much as the real incumbent in State is doing.

Messrs. K & H can take some solace in having been found wanting at the polls. They’re not in charge of anything this morning.

My shoes really were the problem and I was a sport not to talk about my injury. But losing isn’t all bad; just ask John and Richard this morning. Whew!

Blog on!

Wild Bill