The Pendragon's Hall

As a history major who often feels unimportant, I don't usually criticize people who look back to history. Look back to it by all means, but don't get stuck in it! The Democratic Party, I think, still believes they're dealing with John Quincy Adams. I was reading this morning how the Democrats, under the leadership of the then-vice president Calhoun, filibustered "to death" Adams' nominations to a summit with Latin American nations because they believed the whole administration was fouled. Of course Adams took the heat, lost ground in the midterm and was buried in his reelection bid by Andrew Jackson, who had won both the popular and electoral vote four years earlier only to be defeated by a controversial House decision. This is, of course, what the Democrats were hoping for before now and indeed Bush bears remarkably similarities to JQA considering both were sons of former presidents who were narrowly elected President over the protest of the opposition, although Bush's election was unquestionably legal, Adams' is a bit more uncertain. What they seem to be forgetting is that Bush has this uncomfortably knack for beating historical odds. No President elected by a popular minority has ever been re-elected; Bush has. No relative of a one-termer has ever been re-elected; Bush has. No President in modern times has managed to not only re-elect himself but keep his Party in popular majority; Bush has. Those practicing obstruction over at the Senate might want to remember this. They wanted, and failed, to make Bush a one-termer like his father. All it has done is cost them control of the Senate and kept them in minority party status nationwide. You want to remember history, Dingy Harry? Remember that.