Other conservatives are more troubled by Bush's war policies. Vox Day, a self-described "Christian libertarian" and syndicated columnist, declares on right-wing Web tabloid World Net Daily: "Our matchless soldiers have won the war" in Iraq, but "cannot win the peace." Day makes clear he's a fervent supporter of the military, but argues that the Bush administration's exercise of U.S. military power in Iraq and elsewhere is irresponsible and dangerous:

"The policy of Pax Americana enforced by our troops stationed around the world is not only a failure, it is leading to the corruption of the American military ...

"A military machine is a delicate creature, designed to do one thing very well -- destroy the opposition. It is a well-known fact of military history that fighting troops and garrison troops are two very different things, and attempting to turn the former into the latter significantly impedes their ability to perform their primary mission.

"Consider that the U.S. military accomplished its mission in Iraq -- taking Baghdad and destroying the Hussein regime -- with the loss of 106 soldiers in battle and accidents. Since then, the occupation has cost another 437 American lives lost to combat, accidents and suicide. Consider also that the wars for Kuwait and Afghanistan cost 247 and 76 combat deaths, respectively."

But in the Middle East, says Day, the U.S. has in fact failed to complete the mission:

"The beheading of the Hussein regime sent a powerful message to America's enemies. The subsequent elimination of the Saudi and Iranian regimes would have cost fewer American lives and been an even more powerful demonstration of American might, perhaps strong enough to bring a generation of peace. But instead, America has chosen to play Israel's futile game of one step forward, one step back, allowing its enemies to regroup in safe havens, then come back and attack troops who are pinned down like sitting ducks. This is an old game, dating back to the Korean police action, and it has never played out well, demonstrated most clearly by the continuing threat posed by North Korea ...

"Stationing troops in 144 of the 191 U.N. member states around the world has not brought peace. History proves that no utopian vision, however sweeping, will ever bring a permanent peace. Let us then abandon visions of a global Pax Americana, bring our soldiers home, and only send them forth when war is necessary and declared. And when the war is won and the enemy is destroyed, bring the troops home again immediately. They deserve no less."

Defending the Guard
In the New York Post, Alan Meese, a professor of law at William and Mary, takes issue with the uproar over Bush's National Guard service, denouncing the notion that Guardsmen are any less valuable to the U.S. military, or that they might look to avoid the risks of battle. Even so, Meese skips over the fact that the Guard was widely viewed as a safe haven during Vietnam, with some young Guard hopefuls indeed fighting -- for a slot at the top of the list to get in. Meese also appears unconcerned with lingering questions about gaps in the president's service record.

"John Kerry, who served four months on a Navy patrol boat in Vietnam, seemed to compare Guard service with 'going to Canada' or illegally resisting the draft and 'going to jail,' saying he 'had never made any judgments' about 'these choices people make.' Terry McAuliffe, the chairman of Kerry's party, claimed the president 'never served in the military or [served] our country.'

"Those who disparage service in the Guard are dead wrong. Like the [Guard] pilots who scrambled on 9/11, Guard pilots have played a major role in America's defense since the Air Guard's birth in 1947.

"During the Korean War, 66 Guard squadrons were mobilized. Six, including the 111th, saw combat. Guard warplanes flew 39,530 sorties and dropped 44,000 bombs; 101 Guardsmen were lost -- killed or MIA ... In 1961, President Kennedy activated 18 squadrons of Guard combat aircraft and deployed 11 to Europe, countering the Soviets in Berlin. At the Cold War's height, hundreds of Soviet bombers carrying hydrogen bombs threatened the United States. More than 1,000 fighters, many on five-minute alert, were ready to meet them, including planes from 25 Guard squadrons.

"Thus, Bush volunteered on May 27, 1968, for a Guard that had seen combat in the nation's last war and still played an important role in its defense."

Osama is being "monitored by satellite"
So says the Sunday Express, a London tabloid owned by Brit publishing magnate Richard Desmond, whose other titles include "Horny Houswives," "Mega Boobs," and "Worldwide Golf." Though some Bush opponents worry that the administration could spring an "October surprise" by capturing Osama just in time to parade back into the White House in November, few mainstream media have picked up the Express story. Australia's Sunday Telegraph ventured a cautious report on Monday:

"Bin Laden 'surrounded'

"February 22, 2004

"A British Sunday newspaper is claiming Osama bin Laden has been found and is surrounded by US special forces in an area of land bordering north-west Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Sunday Express, known for its sometimes colourful scoops, claims the al-Qaeda leader has been 'sighted' for the first time since 2001 and is being monitored by satellite ...

"The claim is attributed to 'a well-placed intelligence source' in Washington, who is quoted as saying: 'He (bin Laden) is boxed in.'

"The paper says the hostile terrain makes an all-out conventional military assault impossible. The plan to capture him would depend on a 'grab-him-and-go' style operation. 'US helicopters already sited on the Afghanistan border will swoop in to extricate him,' the newspaper says ... The special forces are 'absolutely confident' there is no escape for bin Laden, and are awaiting the order to go in and get him.

"'The timing of that order will ultimately depend on President Bush,' the paper says. 'Capturing bin Laden will certainly be a huge help for him as he gets ready for the election.'"

Pundits vs. polls
While President Bush's approval ratings have recently been sinking, right-wing radio star Rush Limbaugh declares he's fed up with political polling altogether -- it's no substitute, he says, for old-school, hit-the-pavement reporting. On his Web site last Thursday, he featured the following "Maha Rushie" quote of the day:

"This whole business of polling has become an instrument of making news. It's a lazy journalist's way of doing his job. They do a poll and report it rather than going out there, look at what's happening and tell us what's going on."

Two items down the page, Limbaugh offered an apparently unconnected bit of breaking news about his recent legal troubles with illicit drugs:

"Official Results of Court TV Poll:
"Is Rush Limbaugh's prosecution motivated by politics?
"Yes: 11,202 (64%) No: 6,341 (36%)"

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