Cautious optimism

I'd like to apologize for my long absence from this blog - I've been busy with classes, parental visits, research and just living life. But I'm back.

Tuesday brought me the best birthday present I could have hoped for - a Democratic win in the elections. That alone, however, did not suffice to really make me optimistic about the future of America. With Bush still in control of the presidency, and with his prediliction for presidential decrees, I felt that the two years leading up to the presidential election would be marked by an inability of Congress to enact any significant exit strategy, and a subsequent swing back to the Republicans at the time of the next elections.

Then Bush made the decision to get rid of Rumsfeld.

And suddenly I'm filled with more optimism, albeit cautious optimism. Replacing Rumsfeld with a former CIA director is a huge step forward. No matter what one thinks about the CIA's tactics and information purportedly presented on WMDs by the CIA, the CIA is an organization that I respect. Intelligence work is difficult, sometimes unreliable, but generally the people involved have a good idea of the situation on the ground.

Besides, anything is better than Rumsfeld. A two year old child with a xylophone would be better than Rumsfeld. And at least we won't have to see his menacing face on the news all the time anymore.

So cautious optimism it is...for now.