The facts reveal that the answer to that question is a resounding "Yes!" From Powerline: On the stump, Barack Obama usually concludes his comments on Iraq by saying, "and it hasn't made us safer." It is an article of faith on the left that nothing the Bush administration has done has enhanced our security, and, on the contrary, its various alleged blunders have only contributed to the number of jihadists who want to attack us. Empirically, however, it seems beyond dispute that something has made us safer since 2001. Over the course of the Bush administration, successful attacks on the United States and its interests overseas have dwindled to virtually nothing. Some perspective here is required. While most Americans may not have been paying attention, a considerable number of terrorist attacks on America and American interests abroad were launched from the 1980s forward, too many of which were successful. What follows is a partial history: 1988 February: Marine Corps Lt. Colonel Higgens, Chief of the U.N. Truce Force, was kidnapped and murdered by Hezbollah. December: Pan Am flight 103 from London to New York was blown up over Scotland, killing 270 people, including 35 from Syracuse University and a number of American military personnel. 1991 November: American University in Beirut bombed. 1993 January: A Pakistani terrorist opened fire outside CIA headquarters, killing two agents and wounding three. February: World Trade Center bombed, killing six and injuring more than 1,000. 1995 January: Operation Bojinka, Osama bin Laden's plan to blow up 12 airliners over the Pacific Ocean, discovered. November: Five Americans killed in attack on a U.S. Army office in Saudi Arabia. 1996 June: Truck bomb at Khobar Towers kills 19 American servicemen and injures 240. June: Terrorist opens fire at top of Empire State Building, killing one. 1997 February: Palestinian opens fire at top of Empire State Building, killing one and wounding more than a dozen. November: Terrorists murder four American oil company employees in Pakistan. 1998 January: U.S. Embassy in Peru bombed. August: Simultaneous bomb attacks on U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania killed more than 300 people and injured over 5,000. 1999 October: Egypt Air flight 990 crashed off the coast of Massachusetts, killing 100 Americans among the more than 200 on board; the pilot yelled "Allahu Akbar!" as he steered the airplane into the ocean. 2000 October: A suicide boat exploded next to the U.S.S. Cole, killing 17 American sailors and injuring 39. 2001 September: Terrorists with four hijacked airplanes kill around 3,000 Americans in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. December: Richard Reid, the "shoe bomber," tries to blow up a transatlantic flight, but is stopped by passengers. The September 11 attack was a propaganda triumph for al Qaeda, celebrated by a dismaying number of Muslims around the world. Everyone expected that it would draw more Muslims to bin Laden's cause and that more such attacks would follow. In fact, though, what happened was quite different: the pace of successful jihadist attacks against the United States slowed, decelerated further after the onset of the Iraq war, and has now dwindled to essentially zero. Here is the record: 2002 October: Diplomat Laurence Foley murdered in Jordan, in an operation planned, directed and financed by Zarqawi in Iraq, perhaps with the complicity of Saddam's government. 2003 May: Suicide bombers killed 10 Americans, and killed and wounded many others, at housing compounds for westerners in Saudi Arabia. October: More bombings of United States housing compounds in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia killed 26 and injured 160. 2004 There were no successful attacks inside the United States or against American interests abroad. 2005 There were no successful attacks inside the United States or against American interests abroad. 2006 There were no successful attacks inside the United States or against American interests abroad. 2007 There were no successful attacks inside the United States or against American interests abroad. 2008 So far, there have been no successful attacks inside the United States or against American interests abroad.

As mentioned previously, I am a son of Superior, Nebraska. In fact, I am a grandson. Here is a picture of where my grandparents lived for nearly 50 years. It was conveniently situated a block from my house--very handy for running off to when you've gotten yourself in trouble. A soft hug and a piece of candy from Gram's green apple candy dish could soothe any wound. It is one of the Victorian homes on the Lady Vestey Tour of homes--part of the Lady Vestey Festival. Or, as I call it, The Lady Vestey Festy. Gram's house was a dandy but it doesn't hold a candle to what her neighbor Willie Miller ...

Bob Geldof penned an article for Time on President Bush's tremendous leadership on the AIDS crisis in Africa. One of his conclusions is that the President needs to do a little "marketing" of his achievements: Geldof and Bush: Diary From the Road By Bob Geldof I gave the President my book. He raised an eyebrow. "Who wrote this for ya, Geldof?" he said without looking up from the cover. Very dry. "Who will you get to read it for you, Mr. President?" I replied. No response. The Most Powerful Man in the World studied the front cover. Geldof in Africa — " 'The international best seller.' You write that bit yourself?" "That's right. It's called marketing. Something you obviously have no clue about or else I wouldn't have to be here telling people your Africa story." It is some story. And I have always wondered why it was never told properly to the American people, who were paying for it. It was, for example, Bush who initiated the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) with cross-party support led by Senators John Kerry and Bill Frist. In 2003, only 50,000 Africans were on HIV antiretroviral drugs — and they had to pay for their own medicine. Today, 1.3 million are receiving medicines free of charge. The U.S. also contributes one-third of the money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria — which treats another 1.5 million. It contributes 50% of all food aid (though some critics find the mechanism of contribution controversial). On a seven-day trip through Africa, Bush announced a fantastic new $350 million fund for other neglected tropical diseases that can be easily eradicated; a program to distribute 5.2 million mosquito nets to Tanzanian kids; and contracts worth around $1.2 billion in Tanzania and Ghana from the Millennium Challenge Account, another initiative of the Bush Administration. So why doesn't America know about this? "I tried to tell them. But the press weren't much interested," says Bush. It's half true. There are always a couple of lines in the State of the Union, but not enough so that anyone noticed, and the press really isn't interested. For them, like America itself, Africa is a continent of which little is known save the odd horror.

Bill Clinton claimed the mantle of "First Black President" (sorry, Obama). If actions speak louder than words (and they do), then W is the "First African President." First African President By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY Foreign Affairs: George W. Bush has been singled out as the American president who has done the most for Africa. So where's the recognition, both in the media and the black community, of this worthy achievement? Bill Clinton might have been America's first black president, but it seems he didn't do as much for Africa as Bush has. Bob Geldof, Irish rocker and Africa activist, says the Texas oilman, who is wrapping up his second trip to the continent, "has done more ...

From NRO: Surge 101 Lessons from Iraq. By Michael Barone There are lessons to be learned from the dazzling success of the surge strategy in Iraq. Lesson one is that just about no mission is impossible for the United States military. A year ago it was widely thought, not just by the new Democratic leaders in Congress but also in many parts of the Pentagon, that containing the violence in Iraq was impossible. Now we have seen it done. We have seen this before in American history. George Washington’s forces seemed on the brink of defeat many times in the agonizing years before Yorktown. Abraham Lincoln’s generals seemed so unsuccessful in the Civil War that in August 1864 it was widely believed he would be ...

The Leader of the Free World gave his Christmas radio address today. He thanked the troops and their families for their sacrifices. Then he recalled the Author of life who said: "Greater love hath no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends." At this time of year, we acknowledge that love and sacrifice can transform our world. The miracle of Christmas reminds us that God's grace is revealed in the humblest places. Two thousand years ago, the fullness of that grace was found in a tiny manger, and the life born that day changed our world forever. As Christmas approaches, Laura ...

As long as we're doling out our end of year awards, we must recognize the man most fixated on "losing."  In yet another "losing" reference, Harry Reid has declared that even though he has lost every troop funding/troop withdrawal battle with the President, the American people are "losing." Not him. Reid rejects notion that GOP is winning Hill battles If this is what winning looks like, then Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants no part of it. Tired of Republican crowing about winning on Iraq funding, the budget battle and the energy bill, Reid (D-Nev.) shot back on Tuesday afternoon. "We hear a lot of Republicans boasting ... because of their unprecedented obstruction," Reid said. Indeed, ...

Charles Krauthammer is exactly right:  the President took a moral stand and was vindicated on stem cell research. Stem Cell Vindication "If human embryonic stem cell research does not make you at least a little bit uncomfortable, you have not thought about it enough." -- James A. Thomson A decade ago, Thomson was the first to isolate human embryonic stem cells. Last week, he (and Japan's Shinya Yamanaka) announced one of the great scientific breakthroughs since the discovery of DNA: an embryo-free way to produce genetically matched stem cells. Even a scientist who cares not a whit about the morality of embryo destruction will adopt this technique because it is so simple and powerful. The embryonic stem cell ...

National Public Radio would normally love to air a feature story focusing on the anniversary of school desegregation in Little Rock. NPR would normally love to have one of the country's best black journalists conduct such an interview. But NPR passed on the offer--because the interviewee was George W. Bush. (H/T Instapundit.com) NPR Rebuffs White House On Bush Talk Radio Network Wanted To Choose Its Interviewer By Howard Kurtz The White House reached out to National Public Radio over the weekend, offering analyst Juan Williams a presidential interview to mark yesterday's 50th anniversary of school desegregation in Little Rock. But NPR turned down the interview, and Williams's ...

A group of conservative reporters was summoned to the White House today to visit with the Leader of the Free World. Kathryn Jean Lopez and Kate O'Bierne from NRO say he was in a fightin' mood: The Fighting President A commanding commander-in-chief. By Kathryn Lopez & Kate O'Beirne The war in Iraq was foremost on President George W. Bush’s mind when he met for an on-the-record session with a small group of conservative journalists for over an hour Wednesday afternoon. But he also talked about Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) reform, State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP), the importance of pending trade agreements, and his nomination of Judge Michael Mukasey for attorney general. As he made clear in his prime-time speech on Iraq last week, the president is optimistic about the U.S. military’s ability to accomplish its mission. He repeatedly emphasized the commander-in-chief’s crucial relationship to members of the military and their families; he explained, “If I ever believe we’re not going to succeed, I can’t leave our troops there.” He’s specifically encouraged about the improvements in security and political progress in Anbar province. The president explained that during his recent trip there he met with a two-star Marine general and asked him whether he thought the reconciliation there was real. The general knew the local sheiks and believed they are “absolutely committed to fighting extremism,” and see the U.S. as a force for good in the province. President Bush was comforted to notice that his meetings with local leaders in Anbar looked a lot like his meetings with county commissioners when he was governor of Texas. He saw it as an encouraging signal that “politics is working.” President Bush said he was further heartened having had recently met with the Provincial Reconstruction Teams in the Roosevelt Room, who explained why their experiences made them think that the U.S. will succeed in Iraq. Along with security and political reconciliation, President Bush believes that economic prosperity is key to success in Iraq. He thinks that two major elements will help to enable a stable, secure Iraq. He noted the enormous wealth in Iraq and pointed out that oil revenues were being shared even in the absence of a national agreement; “there’s a blossoming of an entrepreneurial spirit” in Iraq, Bush raved. “I’m optimistic,” he concludes. Asked about efforts to enact the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group, President Bush said that Congress “ought to accept what General Petraeus recommends” rather than have the Administration “accept what they’re recommending.” Regarding Senator Jim Webb’s amendment on troop rotations, he simply stated, “Congress shouldn’t dictate troop deployments.” The president blasted MoveOn for their “Betray Us” ad in the New York Times and the Democratic silence in response to it. “I was incredulous at first and then became mad.” The president said, “It is one thing to attack me — which is fine.” But the president’s view the attack on Petraeus as “an attack on men and women in uniform.” He said pointedly: “I was looking for the voices from leadership on the Hill and I didn't hear too many.” He said, “This is wrong” and added that the ad “was uncalled for...and so was the silence” from the Democrats on the Hill. President Bush met the group of ten journalists after a stop at the National Security Agency. He returned to the White House exuding a confidence in and dedication to protecting NSA staff. “I’m sorry you can’t see what I see,” observing that at the NSA he had visited “a building full of incredibly bright and hardworking people.” The president emphasized the importance of the work they do, tracking the plans and movements of an enemy who is “constantly listening and adjusting.” He stressed the importance of FISA reform to provide them with an indispensable tool, adding that he didn’t want the needed changes to become a political issue next year because it is important that his successor have such an essential program in place.