George "Incompetent" Bush

With record low approval ratings and intense criticism for his handling of the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina and the economy, the word most used to label George W. Bush's presidency will be "incompetent," historians say. Harvard University political history scholar Barbara Kellerman said when President-elect Barack Obama takes over in January, people may view Bush in a new light. "I think it's possible when people have stopped being as angry at the Bush administration as they are now ... that they will realize that some of this is just ... the luck of the draw." Kellerman, author of the book "Bad Leadership: What It Is, How It Happens, Why It Matters," noted that Bush has not had luck on his side for the past eight years. "He [Bush] has been a quite unlucky president. Certain things happened on his watch that most people don't have to deal with -- a 9/11, a [Hurricane] Katrina, the financial crisis, being three obvious examples," she said. "And yet they happened on his watch. He is being blamed," she said.

ISF: Kellerman, you're giving Bush way too much credit. I don't think anyone believes that George Bush has the power to create disasters like 9/11, Katrina, the Iraqi War, or the financial crisis. He's too stupid to even comprehend how to put something that complicated together. However, he is being (and should be) blamed for the handling of each situation (and more). A good leader knows how to prevent problems and/or solve them when they happen. Bush did neither.

Bush, meanwhile, who has long defended his decision to invade Iraq as a way to spread democracy, could also see criticism dissipate over time if Iraq becomes a thriving, stable country. "If you imagine that an Iraq in 10,15 years is actually a vibrant, stable democracy and other countries neighboring it move in that direction ... I think you'd have a strong Bush revisionism," Zelizer said. "How things unfold in coming decades can help repair a battered presidency," he added.

ISF: That's great. Maybe Bush should have run for president of Iraq instead of the U.S. since his focus was on making THEM a better country than his own.

5...6...7...SEVEN HOUSES! AH AH AH AH AH!

Days after he cracked that being rich in the U.S. meant earning at least $5 million a year, Republican presidential candidate John McCain acknowledged that he wasn't sure how many houses he and his wealthy wife actually own. "I think — I'll have my staff get to you," McCain responded to a question posed by Politico, according to a story Thursday on the publication's Web site. "It's condominiums where — I'll have them get to you." Later, the McCain campaign told Politico that McCain and his wife, Cindy, have at least four in three states, Arizona, California and Virginia. Newsweek recently estimated the two owned at least seven properties.

WP: You just lose track after the first four or five, don't you?

Pro-nun-see-a-shun

Earlier this week, the president denied the nation was in a recession, instead saying, "We are in a slowdown."

WP: He probably can't pronounce "recession."

Happy Iraqiversary

WP: Idiot.

Bush this Year

What began as a troubling year for Bush, facing a new, energetic Democratic Congress, ended in triumph for the president as frustrated Democrats nursed their losses. Democrats failed in their No. 1 objective to stop the war in Iraq and bowed to Bush and his veto threats on tax policies, energy legislation, children's health insurance and general spending. After months of bitter fights, Bush said the year was ending on a high note.

STY: Yes, it is. For George Bush. And nobody else.