One year ago today

I don't talk about it much in this space, but I was very involved with last year's presidential election, and so today is a very painful and introspective day for me.

Looking back on the past 365 days, makes me believe that there is more than just a physical year between us and that fateful election. Since that day, many things have happened to make it all feel more like a political decade:

:: Southeast Asia's tsunami
:: Israel's withdrawal from Gaza
:: two Supreme Court openings (as predicted), three nominations
:: white house scandal (has any two-term president not had one?)
:: Hurricane Katrina and the loss of an American city
:: the Iraqi people voted
:: thousands of American troops have perished
:: a UN nomination fight
:: the end of filibusters?
:: terrorist bombs in London's underground

...and that's what I can recall off the top of my head. It's a list of issues that I wouldn't wish on anyone trying to lead a nation, but it certainly a list that I wish were being handled by a different person.

One year later are we any better off for staying the course? I think you can surmise my own answer to that question, but it's worth asking. Even if you voted for Bush in the election it's worth evaluating our place. It's worth stepping back, surveying the damage and saying, "Could this have been done differently? Could this have been handled better?"

I still believe that John Kerry would have made a good president. Would he have been great? We only would know if he had the laundry list above to confront.

I can say with great confidence, however, that with our current administration, we are very far away from greatness.