The Iraq challenge isn't over, and it will eventually be concluded. As more of us can see now, the purpose of it was mostly to destabilize - and then restabilize in a more correct and less terroristic fashion - the broader Middle East as a whole. Anybody who thinks Iraq was about Saddam & Co. is out of touch. Bush actually laid most of this out a long time ago. Nobody listened, though. Everybody wanted to talk about WMD. They had to sell it to us somehow, though.

This spending thing is definitely ridiculous. Deficit spending to get out of a recession isn't exactly a new idea, though. Plus, even though he has veto power, I still think that ball is mostly in Congress's court.

On that note, I don't really care who is President on January 21, 2009, as long as it's somebody who will not wimp out on this Middle East struggle. If it turns into World War III, so be it, but if we stay strong and be smart it probably won't go that far.

Stop doubting. "No legacy for Mr. Bush." Whatever. All of this is obviously very, very complex and sensitive. That's why it's so frustrating when people reduce this discussion to low-IQ arguments about oil, and Big Oil, and Halliburton, etc.

It's much more serious than that.

Maybe it is time to elect a true conservative in '08. In fact, I emphatically agree with that. However, #1 is stopping Islamofascists and anyone else who would nuke us because if we fail to take care of this problem now it will come back to haunt us in the form of suicide bombings, dirty bombs, and mushroom clouds.

Iran is the heart of Islamofascist terror. However, you have to weaken your opponent before going for the knockout. Iraq is a jab. Hezbollah is a jab. Al-Qaida is a jab. It's all part of defeating one opponent, though. That enemy is terrorism, or more specifically, Islamofascist terror. Of course, North Korea could play a role in this, and maybe a major role, but our main enemy right now are the Islamofascists.

We have to be confident, though. All this self-doubt and worry will do nothing but serve as a self-fulfilling prophecy is we don't clean up our own acts.

The mental part of the game is the most important part. Offense and defense are simple. What matters is strategy, confidence, a can-win attitude. Sometimes the game plan may need to be altered. That's fine. Do it, but not until you're absolutely certain that your plan won't work because there is a very real possibility that it just hasn't worked yet.

I should probably get some quotes from coaches on this stuff. Maybe then you would believe me. I'll leave that up to you, though.