It’s no secret that there are things about President Bush that I dislike. First of all, he doesn’t “get” immigration. Why is it so hard for him to understand that lawbreaking must not be rewarded? All I can think of is that he is beholden to the business community. That’s unacceptable. Businesses care only about their bottom line; they don’t give a damn about national security, preservation of our culture, protection of the environment, or law and order. Second, he is inarticulate. I’m not talking about his famously garbled syntax. That’s unimportant. I’m talking about his inability to communicate matters of substance to the American people. As I wrote in this blog more than three years ago, he should have been talking directly to the American people from day one of his presidency, laying out the principled basis for each of his policies, including the invasion of Iraq. Instead, he allows his enemies to frame issues and control the debate. Sometimes the silence out of the White House is deafening. Third, he bungled the invasion of Iraq. He should have quit while he was ahead. The aim was (or should have been) to remove Saddam Hussein from power. It was not to rebuild Iraq. We have no business rebuilding nations. In fact, President Bush used to say as much.

Despite these failures (or shortcomings), President Bush has given us two brilliant and law-abiding Supreme Court justices: John Roberts and Samuel Alito. For that, I will always be grateful. With any luck, he will give us another such justice (or two). Just imagine how things would be if we had had a Gore or a Kerry presidency. Then again, try not to. It’s frightening.

The Bush presidency, for better or for worse, is winding down. Those of us who care about law and order must decide how to vote in 2008. Most of you know that I came out in favor of Mitt Romney early on, and I would still be happy to support him, should he be the nominee. But Romney’s candidacy hasn’t taken off. I’m afraid that his Mormonism will keep people from voting for him, which will make a Democrat presidency likely. What to do? I’m now taken by Fred Thompson, who has President Bush’s good qualities but none of the bad ones. Perhaps most importantly, Thompson knows how to communicate. In that regard, as well as with regard to substance, he is the reincarnation of Ronald Reagan. (See here.) I believe that Thompson will crush whichever sniveling Democrat gains the nomination, whether it’s pretty-boy hypocrite John Edwards, harridan Hillary Clinton, or smooth-talking but empty-headed Barack Obama. Please run, Fred. The White House is yours for the taking.