A COMMON journalistic trope in recent years held that Bill Clinton was fortunate in his enemies: Whatever his personal or political faults–and they were many and grave–they were always redeemed, or at least diminished in scope, by the tactical bungling and sheer ickiness of people like Tom DeLay, Newt Gingrich, and Ken Starr.
Though the Bushies loathe any suggestion that their man resembles Clinton, it’s clear that George W. Bush, too, is lucky in his enemies (with the exception of the crafty Tom Daschle, a more formidable foe than the hapless Trent Lott ever was for Clinton). The latest example of this was the shameless squawking of many Democrats last week, after the revelation that Bush was briefed in August about the likelihood of new al Qaeda attacks, possibly including hijackings.
