W compares himself to the first (W)ashington

No lack of confidence for him.

But his analogy left me more scared than inspired. Says the modern W,

"On the field of battle, Washington's forces were facing a mighty empire, and the odds against them were overwhelming. The ragged Continental Army lost more battles than it won, suffered waves of desertions, and stood on the brink of disaster many times. Yet George Washington's calm hand and determination kept the cause of independence and the principles of our Declaration alive."

Ummmmm, who's who in the analogy?

OK. Lets assume we're the Continental Army. Is Al Qaeda the mighty empire? Are the odds against us overwhelming? Should I be planning to lose more battles than we win? Desertions? Are we on the brink of disaster? What the hell's going on? Maybe I haven't been scared enough? Or maybe W's finally starting to read papers. I mean, was that supposed to be inspiring? Is he really comparing the most powerful military ever to the "ragged" Continental Army? Is he saying troop moral is so low we're facing mass desertions? I'm not even going into the difference between defending the Declaration and putting it aside "for now." I'm completely baffled. That or he's just totally delusional. Worst. Peptalk. Ever.

But looking at it, it sounds more like a rallying cry for Al Qaeda. I mean, we're more like the "mighty empire." We could certainly be viewed as the modern version of Britain. And aren't the odds against them overwhelming? The insurgents are certainly rag-tag, and are definitely losing more battles than they're winning. Disaster is absolutely a constant presence. Seriously, wouldn't this speech make much more sense if it came from Binny?

However, maybe we should pay close attention to the current W's words. It's very hard to defy the locals if they don't want you around. A lesson the Brits learned about 250 years ago, one we learned 35 years ago, and one we may be learning now.

Finally, I think this quote is the scariest.

"After winning the war, Washington did what victorious leaders rarely did at the time. He voluntarily gave up power.

Isn't he acknowledging how difficult it would be for any leader to give up the powers he asked us to give him. Especially since he won't be that leader? I think this is the warning we should all be heeding.