Everything's going great

The Washington Post tells us:

The war in Iraq seems to have taken a turn for the better and the opposition at home has failed in all efforts to impose its own strategy. North Korea is dismantling its nuclear program. The budget deficit is falling. A new attorney general has been confirmed despite objections from the left.

After more than two years of being buffeted by one political disaster after another, President Bush and his strategists think they may finally be getting back at least a bit of their footing. While still facing enormous challenges, from the crisis in Pakistan to the backlash over children's health care, they hope Bush has arrested his downward spiral and established a better foundation for the remainder of his time in office.

and wonders why Bush's approval ratings haven't reflected all the good news.

Perhaps it's because all these gains are illusory. The relative calm (still horrendous chaos) in Iraq hasn't produced any measurable political progress and seems entirely due to the fact that the ethnic cleansing has largely been completed and the fact that the Mahdi Army has voluntarily suspended operations until they decide to resume them. That the Dems have failed to accomplish anything is largely the fault of Bush and the Thuglicans in Congress -- neither likely to add to Bush's approval ratings. North Korea may be dismantling, but that's because Bush decided to adopt Clinton's policies there and, where he hasn't, the problems in Iran loom large. The budget deficit is irrelevant to the average guy. The fact that his house is plummeting in value, there's no mortgage money available anywhere, and jobs are disappearing are relevant. Then, there's the fact that the dollar is becoming worthless. And, the confirmation of a new attorney general who won't condemn waterboarding is just great news for everyone, isn't it?

Yes, I guess I'm surprised that Bush's approval ratings haven't risen, but that's probably because gas prices have.