I was thinking of writing something along these lines, but the guys at Powerline beat me to it.

The U.S. has now seen the leadership of both France and Germany pass to figures who believe, as a general matter, that American power is a force for good in the world, and not something that needs persistently to be constrained. Let's hope that in 2009 the U.S. still has a leader who concurs.

Granted, I'm sure it was economic malaise more than American policy that turned the tide, but I'll take the support however it comes.

Meanwhile at home, the ecomomy is humming along pretty peacefully, yet President Bush has Jimmy Carter level ratings. There is very little chance that this decade will be written as anything other than one of steady growth, historically low interest rates, low inflation and low unemployment (with a blip around 9/11). It just goes to show how Bush's Iraq policy is the be all and end all of his legacy. This decade may be remembered as one where the people and the press followed Bush's lead for a time and then revolted, but Bush will never be accused of pandering to polls as did his predecessor, the "Pander Bear".