150 outraged comments in Headlines means the clip is mandatory. Readers are snarking about burning the village to save it, which reminds me of the anti-war canard about how bombing for peace is like screwing for virginity. Dubya’s consistent, at least: When he fears that inaction will bring calamity, he errs on the side of intervention and dives in, with the cost, the lack of an overarching strategy, and the risks of calamity inherent in action itself secondary concerns to be managed later. (Of course, if he were perfectly consistent, he’d have already hit Iran.) Maybe we should get Petraeus to manage TARP!

I like what he says about his obligation to his successor but can’t understand why he won’t go the whole nine yards rhetorically and pawn the matter off on Obama. The One supports an auto bailout and insists we’re headed for Carmageddon if we don’t keep the industry afloat. Fair enough. The people wanted Change, so give them Change a month early. Bush is going to bail out the Big Three anyway. Why take the hit when he doesn’t have to?