After Delay, U2 on the Horizon

U2’s 12th studio album, “No Line on the Horizon,” will be released by Interscope Records on March 3, the band announced on Thursday. Recorded by the band’s longtime producers Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno and Steve Lillywhite in Morocco, Dublin, New York and London, this will be U2’s first album of new material in nearly five years. It had been scheduled for release this fall, but Bono, left, and the rest of the band delayed it to continue working. That’s hardly unusual, but since a new U2 album is such a reliable blockbuster, the change caused an immediate downgrade of industry forecasts for the important year-end sales season. Expected albums by 50 Cent, Eminem and Jay-Z were also pushed to 2009, and record sales dropped sharply this fall. Album sales for September and October were down 20 percent from the same period last year, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and Billboard reported that sales for the three weeks that ended Dec. 7 were down nearly 25 percent.

Bush on His Record: The president defends his democracy agenda and his economic interventionism.

Terry Shoffner

Who Wears the Pants

By MEGAN BASHAM

In the past few years, stay-at-home moms have come under fire from some of feminism's most hard-line mouthpieces. These mothers have been told that they're letting down the sisterhood, endangering the economy and -- most important -- undermining their own position. By failing to bring in at least half the family income, it is claimed, they have rendered themselves powerless in their own homes.

Barbara Kelley

"Incomes give women power in their marriages," says Leslie Bennetts, a Vanity Fair writer and frequent "Today Show" guest. She has called the recent increase in mothers choosing to stay home a national tragedy. Linda Hirshman, the author of "Get to Work: A Manifesto for Women of the World," has made her own rounds of female-targeted programming, appearing on "The View" and "Good Morning America" to recommend that young women "marry down." Why? Because money "usually accompanies power," she says, "and it enables the bearer to wield power, including within the family."

But as it turns out, wives don't need income to wield power in their marriages. And mothers don't have much reason to fear losing power if they're not bringing home an equal share of the bacon. A Pew Research Center study released a couple of weeks ago found that when it comes to decision making in the home, wives in a majority of cases either rule the roost or share power equally with their husbands, regardless of how much money the women earn.

Of the 1,260 men and women whom Pew pollsters surveyed over the summer, 43% responded that the woman makes most of the major decisions for the family, with 31% saying that the couple makes most decisions together. There was a small difference (within the margin of error) between the control exerted by wives who earn more than their husbands and those who earn less (46% versus 42%). But in both cases, women wielded sole decision-making power far more than men did, indicating that what "father knows best" is when to defer to mom.

Certainly that was what University of Iowa researchers found last year when they measured how couples negotiate conflict over household decisions. That study not only confirmed that men will usually go along with their wives but found that when couples do disagree, wives are far more persuasive than husbands in changing their spouses' minds.

According to the author of the study, David Vogel, what he and his team witnessed during recorded conversations wasn't a case of men tuning out when their wives started talking. Rather the researchers saw that when spouses engaged in debate, the women gained more ground than their husbands did. "[The women] were communicating more powerful messages and men were responding to those messages by agreeing," Mr. Vogel stated in a press release. The hypothesis that men hold more sway in relationships because they typically make more money didn't play out.

If a bigger paycheck did mean more power in any area of family decision making, the most likely one would be finances. But even there women are in charge, with more women than men in the Pew survey saying that they manage the couple's budget and wives in the Iowa study winning out over husbands in money disagreements. According to Pew, 45% of women said they hold the family purse strings compared to 37% of men. This despite two-thirds of the couples reporting that the man had the higher income. In fact, in recent years a substantial amount of research has shown that wives lose some of their household decision-making power when they earn more than their husbands, possibly because by spending fewer hours in the home they forfeit claims to certain household "expertise."

Scholarly interest in which spouse has more power in the home didn't start in earnest until the late 1960s, when women began entering the work force in significant numbers. But advertisers have been tracking the buying habits of American families since the 1940s. What they have found is that women made more of the household purchasing decisions before the advent of the feminist movement and that they make more of the purchasing decisions now, regardless of how big or small their paychecks are. These marketing surveys have been remarkably consistent, and they haven't changed much in the past 60 years.

To be fair, many of the scholarly studies' conclusions include a "final say" contingency -- many husbands claim that they have veto power when they feel very strongly about an issue. But consumer research shows that with the exception of what car to buy and when to buy it, men rarely claim strong enough feelings to override their wives.

"Across all decision-making realms, it tilts to the woman," noted Rich Morin, the Pew study's lead author. "I was surprised by the percentage of men who made none of the decisions in any of the areas. A significant percentage were just bystanders." Not surprisingly, one reason men say they are willing to acquiesce in their spouses' wishes is that their wives usually have greater knowledge of the day-to-day activities and needs of the home than they do. They trust their wives' choices the way they would any specialist's. But what is rather unexpected is the deeper (and much sweeter) reason men have for giving in to their wives: They want them to be happy, or at least they don't want to be responsible for making them unhappy.

The general consensus of sociologists is that, whereas a woman's marital satisfaction is dependent on a combination of economic, emotional and psychological realities, a man's marital satisfaction is most determined by one factor: how happy his wife is. When she is happy, he is. Working within this framework, most husbands are unwilling to dig in their heels on any issue unless they have a tremendous incentive to do so.

More than anything, this sentiment shows the silliness inherent in the brand of feminism that belittles full-time motherhood by constantly worrying about the family balance of power. In most American marriages there is no struggle for supremacy, because most of the husbands are all too happy to let their wives make, or at least share equally in, the decisions. This is an arrangement, according to the Pew poll, that satisfies the majority of couples. And if they're content with it, maybe feminists should be too.

Ms. Basham is the author of "Beside Every Successful Man: A Woman's Guide to Having It All," just released by Crown Forum.

Nobel laureates crown U2's Bono 'man of peace'

"This is a very big award for me, because let's be honest this is as close as I am going to get -- as close as a rock star is ever going to get to the Nobel Peace Prize," the 48-year-old Bono quipped to the audience.

"I am an over-awarded, over-rewarded rock star. You are the people who do the real work," he told the Nobel winners present, who included F.W. de Klerk of South Africa, Lech Walesa of Poland and Northern Ireland's John Hume.

"So I am very, very pleased to be in such esteemed company."

2008 Scattante CFR Race Road Bike

• Lightweight carbon monocoque C-4 frame with carbon/aluminum fork offers a stiff and efficient ride with less vibration
• Shimano Ultegra drivetrain blends race-proven technology with ergonomic perfection to give you a new level of shifting performance
• FSA SLK Light Carbon cranks with MegaExo bottom bracket deliver super-stiff, no-flex pedaling power for the road ahead. The arms are Hollow Carbon with an internal I-beam reinforcement that yields higher torsional strength and stiffness than our previous cranksets.
• E3 Curve Carbon OS handlebars - Full carbon fiber construction dampens vibration and provides a nearly weightless experience through the twist and turns of the road ahead. Anatomic flat top section offers a comfortable, stable platform for your hands while remaining aerodynamic. Ergonomic drop section reduces fatigue and improves braking performance
• Forté Precision carbon seatpost supplies core-level strength, style and vibration damping performance
• Continental Ultra Sport tires provide comfort and exceptional handling, especially on rough road surfaces
• Mavic Ksyrium Equipe wheels are lightweight, responsive and guarantee a reliable road experience
• OEM: Fuji; Equivalent Frame: Team
• Reviews
  

Unparalleled power and lightweight speed pave the way to fast finish with this pro-level racing bike. Constructed with cutting-edge Composite Bladder Molding and Aerospace Composite technologies, the carbon fiber chassis delivers a nearly “weightless” ride while remaining laterally stiff, vertically resilient and fast as all get out! And with the addition of Shimano’s smooth and effortless Ultegra drivetrain, the powerful climbing performance of FSA carbon cranks and the lightweight aerodynamics of Mavic’s Ksyrium Equipe wheelset, you’ll be ridin’ like the wind in no time flat!

Cassette:	Shimano 105 CS-5600, 11/23T, 10-speed
Front Derailleur:	Shimano Ultegra FD-6600-B, Double, 31.8mm clamp
Levers:	Shimano Ultegra ST-6600
Shifters:	Shimano Ultegra ST-6600, 10-speed
Rear Derailleur:	Shimano Ultegra ST-6600SS, 10-speed
Brakeset:	Shimano Ultegra ST-6600

Pedals: Shimano SPD-SL 6620 Road Pedals

NIB Shimano Ultegra 6600 components for sale

For sale as a group or separately. Prices are significantly reduced from local shop prices and would make a great Christmas present. If you know of anyone that would be interested...

Components comprised of:
• Shimano Ultegra Rear Derailleur 10 Speed 6600 - $65
• Shimano Ultegra Front Derailleur Double 6600 Braze On - $30
• Shimano Ultegra STi Double 10 Speed 6600 - $250
• Shimano Ultegra Chainset HT II Double 6600 (172.5, 53/39) - $175
• Shimano Ultegra Bottom Bracket 6600/6603 6600 Ultegra bottom bracket - British thread - $15
• Shimano Ultegra Chain 10 Speed 6600 - $25
• Shimano Ultegra Cassette 10 Speed 6600 (12/25) - $55

ULTEGRA has been redesigned completely to appeal to a wide range of cyclists. In this new design, extra attention has been paid to increased ergonomics. Specifically the Dual Control lever the same style as the ST-7801 which achieves a smooth and effortless operation due to its ergonomic design. The front derailleur rigidity is increased by 20% compared to the previous model. The HOLLOWTECH II crankset improves rigidity and efficiency while reducing weight. Overall new ULTEGRA 10-speed is lighter than previous 9-speed model.
We are now offering a complete groupset kit, simply make your selection from the products below and confirm your selection.

Shimano Ultegra Rear Derailleur 10 Speed 6600


Features:

• Wide link design: Wide outer link design increases rigidity.
• SIS-SP41 cable housing. The cable housing with silicon grease reduces friction by 10%.
• 9 & 10-speed compatible

Specifications:

• Speeds: 10-speed
• Max. Sprocket: 27T
• Min. Sprocket: 11T
• Max Front Difference: 23T
• Total Capacity: 38T
• Guide Pulley: sealed ceramic bushing
• Tension Pulley: sealed bearing
• 11T Pulley: Yes
• Bracket Body: aluminium/clear coated
• Bracket Body Pivot Seal: double O-rings
• Plate Body: aluminium/clear coated
• Plate Body Pivot Seal: single O-ring
• Outer Link: aluminium/clear coated
• Inner Link: aluminium/barrel
• Sealed Link Pins: outer/inner link
• Link Pin Bushings: fluorine coated (4)
• Outer Plate: aluminium/anodized
• Inner Plate: aluminium/barrel
• Average Weight: 219g



Shimano Ultegra Front Derailleur Double 6600 Braze On

The wide pivot link design boosts strength and rigidity. Flex is suppressed, creating sharp, precise shifts that are faster and smoother, even from low to high gears off of the saddle.

Features

• Wide link design:20% increased rigidity.
• Pivot locations for less cage deflection:Pivot location at cage was moved to point of maximum force to reduce cage deflection.
• Narrower chain cage:Narrower chain cage to accommodate 10-speed chain.
• SG-X chainrings compatibility
• Light action spring
• DUAL SIS front index shifting
• Weight: 103g
  
  
  Specifications
• Rear speeds :10-speed
• DUAL SIS: Yes
• Top Gear Teeth: 50-56T
• Capacity: 15T
• Link Bushing: lower/A-pin
• O-ring Seals: No.
• Spring Cover: Yes
• Chain Stay Angle: 61-66 deg.
• Mounting: band
• Applicable Chainline: 43.5mm
• Band Diameter: 28.6***/31.8/34.9mm
• Band/Brazed-on Clamp: aluminum/clear coated
• Outer Link: aluminum/clear coated
• Inner Link: aluminum/clear coated
• Chain Guide: steel/pearl bright finish
• Average Weight 103g

Shimano Ultegra STi Double 10 Speed 6600

Ergonomic innovation is probably more critical to the higher standard of the new 10-speed S.T.I. levers than the added gearing. The narrower cradle-style perch welcomes the high-on-the-hood riding style and accommodates all sizes of hands. The shift internals borrow the robustness from our MTB technology which results in a smooth and effortless shift.

Features

• Ergonomic design: Refined lever hood for improved ergonomics.
• Robust internal mechanism
• Same lever response as Dura-Ace
• Ergonomic shift stroke movment
• Effortless shifting: Shift effort is reduced on release lever.
• Short stroke shifting:Inward shift stroke distance is reduced by 10mm.
• Weight:490g(pair)
  
  
  Specifications
• Rear: 10-speed
• Front: double
• FLIGHT DECK: SM-SC70
• Gear Sensor:Yes
• Max. Single-Stroke Shifts: 3 (rear)
• Handle Bar Diameter: 23.8-24.2mm
• Bracket: engineering plastic
• Levers: aluminum/clear coated
• Super SLR: Yes
• Shift Cable: stainless
• Average Weight: 490g(pair)
  
• 
  

Shimano Ultegra Chainset HT II Double 6600

The Hollowtech II crank and bottom bracket combines race-proven hollow forging technology with the integrated crankset & bottom bracket. Weight is reduced while rigidity & power transfer is radically increased.

In addition to Hollowtech II integrated design; the crank arms are hollow which provide amazing strength and rigidity at a light weight. Finally, SG-X chainrings enable super smooth front shifting. Special tooth profiles, pick-up spikes and ramps help make the front derailleur shifts quiet, easy and trouble free for you the rider.

Features

• Crankset with integrated Bottom Bracket.
• Crank Arm Lengths: 172.5
• Gearing:53-39T

Specifications:

• HYPERDRIVE: Yes
• DUAL SIS: Yes
• Chain compatibility: Super Narrow HG for 10-speed
• Hollow Crank Arm: HOLLOWTECHII
• Reinforced Spider: Yes
• Number of Teeth: 53-39T
• Bolt Circle Diameter: 130mm
• Crank Arm forged: aluminum/anodized
• Chainrings: aluminum/anodized
• Average Weigh:t 839g-53-39T,70mm,integrated BB
• 10 Speed

Shimano Ultegra Bottom Bracket 6600/6603 6600 Ultegra bottom bracket - British thread

Features

• The bottom bracket bearings for the HollowTech II FC6600 crankset
• Minimal bearing interface gives superbly smooth rolling
• Required for installation of FC7800 chainset, with a choice of English or Italian thread BB cups
• Set includes left and right hand cups, inner cover and inner O-rings
• Sealed cups keep out dirt and water
• Maintenance free

Shimano Ultegra Chain 10 Speed 6600 High performance super narrow 10-speed chain.

Features:
• Hyperglide (HG) series 10-speed compatible chain, recommended for Ultegra drivetrains
• HG technology has chamfered inner plates to optimise shifting performance on HG sprockets
• Durability is assured through a chromising treatment on link pins, and the heat treatment of rollers, pins, and plates
• Mushrooming of the pins gives unsurpassed side-plate retention, enabling the chain to far exceed the BS/ISO standard for breaking force
• 5.88 mm chain width, optimised for 10-speed Super Narrow HG drivetrains
• Zinc-alloy silver finish on outer plates, and grey finish on inner plates increase corrosion resistance

Shimano Ultegra Cassette 10 Speed 6600 12/25

Computer designed Hyperglide (HG) sprockets incorporate specifically positioned shift ramps and tooth profiles for improved chain control during shifting. Fast and responsive indexed shifting is the result.

Specifications

• Speed: 10-speed
• Finish: nickel plated
• Average Weight: 235g (12-23T)

Dallas drivers - and cyclists - could use some training in etiquette

Bikin' Mike's Happy New Year Ride

Bono about (RED)WIRE

U2 - I Believe In Father Christmas [U2's contribution to (RED)WIRE]

Not So Easy on His Knees: Balancing Faith with Celebrity

Not So Easy on His Knees: Balancing Faith with Celebrity, Part I

Part II

Part III

Editor’s Note: Here, we continue to publish the work of Dr. Laurie Britt-Smith and her exploration of Bono’s rock-n-roll rhetoric. In this installment, she begins an exploration of the tension between faith and celebrity grounded in the concept of a Discourse community.

Previous articles:

Community, Rock, & Rhetoric

Is Bono A Prophet

And A Rock Star Shall Lead Them

Some Carbon Candor: A climate guru rebukes his mates on cap and trade.

Liberal interest groups, think tanks, lobbyists, bloggers and other nuisances are inundating the incoming Obama Administration with advice, but James Hansen recently managed to say something interesting. Namely, the famous NASA scientist had the nerve to expose some of the global-warming fantasies widespread among children and politicians.

No, the spiritual leader of the climate-change movement hasn't recanted. Global warming threatens "not simply the Earth, but the fate of all its species, including humanity," he writes in his manifesto, which is tame by Mr. Hansen's normal rhetorical standards. (He likes to compare carbon to the Holocaust: "those coal trains will be death trains -- no less gruesome than if they were boxcars headed to crematoria.")

But Mr. Hansen also had the honesty to follow his convictions to their logical conclusion, while reproaching his followers -- President-elect Obama among them -- for not doing the same. To wit, Mr. Hansen endorses a straight carbon tax as the only "honest, clear and effective" way to reduce emissions, with the revenues rebated in their entirety to consumers on a per-capita basis. "Not one dime should go to Washington for politicians to pick winners," he writes.

The risks of fossil fuels remain speculative, but if they really are the apocalypse of Mr. Hansen's prophecies, then the cleanest remedy is a tax. That would raise energy and all other prices as the incentive for new technologies and investments. But a tax would be neutral, eliminating the market distortions caused by subsidies and regulation, and the proceeds could be used to offset other taxes. The transition to a world in which growth is not tied to carbon would still be long and extremely expensive, but a tax would be the least painful way to get there.

"A tax should be called a tax," Mr. Hansen writes. "The public can understand this and will accept a tax if it is clearly explained and if 100 percent of the money is returned." Clearly the man is not standing for elective office.

Beltway sachems prefer posturing that disguises the cost of rising energy prices, such as cap and trade. This "subterfuge," as Mr. Hansen terms it, shifts the direct burden onto businesses, which then pass it along to consumers. Congress may flatter itself that it is saving mankind, but what the Members really want is a cap-and-trade windfall that they can redistribute in the green pork of Mr. Obama's "new energy economy," whatever that means.

Unrealistically, Mr. Hansen also favors a complete phase-out of coal-fired electric power, arguing that it be replaced by advanced nuclear, which could be capable of recycling radioactive waste within a decade. He adds: "It is essential that hardened 'environmentalists' not be allowed to delay the R&D on 4th generation nuclear power." We'd like to see him debate Al Gore on that one.

Mr. Hansen can usually find a journalistic stenographer for his pronouncements. This one evaporated without a trace. Perhaps it's because the Obama transition is drowning in position papers. Or perhaps his candor is merely too embarrassing.

Barack's Windfall Reversal: Here comes the 'change' part of his Administration.

One of Barack Obama's emerging political qualities is how casually he has been dumping the ballast of his campaign promises. The latest lousy policy to go over the side is a windfall profits tax on U.S. oil companies.

Throughout his run for President, Mr. Obama argued the industry deserved special taxation on its "excess" earnings. He planned to use the proceeds to fund an "emergency" round of $1,000 rebate checks for families. "It isn't right that oil companies are making record profits when ordinary Americans are going into debt trying to pay rising energy costs," he said. The sentiment featured in campaign ads and attacks on John McCain.

Mr. Obama never did offer a good or even particular reason for the oil majors to face this Carter-era inspiration -- apart from appeasing the populist furies. And he couldn't, either, given that multiple other industries profit more both in absolute terms and in returns on equity or sales. Nor could he account for the fact the tax confiscation would merely be passed along to the public in forgone investment in new exploration and production (and thus higher prices at the pump) or lower dividends.

Now with the election safely over, a transition spokesman explained this week that the drop in oil prices to $50 a barrel has made the windfall tax a dead letter. Left unexplained was why the oil companies suddenly decided to stop profiteering, or manipulating commodity prices, or whatever it was they were supposedly doing. But be thankful for small mercies. It is reassuring that Mr. Obama's calls to arbitrarily soak an unpopular business were merely rooted in political expediency, not some economic philosophy.

Tisdale's biggest rebound comes after loss of leg to cancer

ESPN

Tisdale says his experiences on the basketball court helped him face the challenges of cancer.

ESPN

Tisdale has become a quick learner on his Sooners-style prothesis.

ESPN

"If you see me smile, you see the genuine love. That's me."

Citi’s ThankYou Network, Amazon.com Join Forces

Today, Citi’s ThankYou Rewards Network, a world-class loyalty program, unveiled a new rewards experience that allows its members to redeem ThankYou Points for products fulfilled through Amazon.com. Now, Members can enjoy using their points to shop the millions of items Citi has made available to them from Amazon.com, the online retailer that features earth’s biggest selection.

ThankYou Network’s enhanced rewards collection fulfilled through Amazon.com offers an incredible selection of merchandise backed by superb services and a new expedited shipping option, just in time for the holiday season. Members will now have even more redemption options in addition to the great deal of other useful rewards, such as travel and gift cards, they have long enjoyed.

“Providing rewards fulfilled through an industry leader such as Amazon.com reinforces Citi’s commitment to offering world-class rewards to our ThankYou Members,” said Nancy Gordon, executive vice-president of ThankYou Network. “Our goal is to create unique experiences for our customers. Providing ThankYou Members with the opportunity to use the points they’ve earned to shop for millions of goods through this amazing new channel makes that goal a reality.”

“We are pleased that Citi has chosen to make Amazon.com’s broad product selection and fast delivery capabilities available to ThankYou Rewards Network Members,” said Steven Shure, vice president of traffic at Amazon.com. “This integration will provide a dramatically different level of rewards selection and delivery capabilities.”

ThankYou Network’s newly expanded rewards inventory comes with a sophisticated new online interface inspired by best-in-class websites that empowers members to swiftly search and browse rewards by point range, category, and specific products. The expanded range of categories includes everything from books, music and DVDs to the latest in electronics, home goods, sports equipment, and more.

Since its inception in 2004, ThankYou Network has reinforced Citi’s focus on developing and nurturing long-term relationships with its customers. At launch, ThankYou Network represented a groundbreaking way to show appreciation to Members using select Citi credit card and retail banking products.

Over the years, the rewards program has grown to 13 million Members and has added other sponsors such as Citi Smith Barney and Expedia. Members can now earn points by making purchases with their Smith Barney Financial Management Account cards and by booking qualified travel on Expedia. They can also earn even more points by shopping through ThankYou Network’s Online Shopping Mall at thankyou.com, which features more than 300 brand-name online and in-store retailers.

To learn more about ThankYou Network, visit www.thankyou.com.

A Time for Thanksgiving: Obama's debt of gratitude to George W. Bush.

As the transition progresses and Barack Obama's inauguration draws closer, it's a good moment to mull the gifts George W. Bush has left for the incoming president. Bush has made the world a better place, and if Obama wants to do the same, he will take the good things Bush has done and move forward with them.

Early indicators are in fact positive. In foreign policy, possibly embarrassed by the eagerness with which the world's most vile regimes have welcomed his election, Obama is backing off his many promises to sit down with dictators. His antiwar base is already outraged that he may not make closing the hated "Crusader gulag" at Guantánamo Bay his first act of national liberation from the Bush era. He is even reportedly considering allowing the CIA some leeway in interrogation techniques.

In the critical field of war and foreign policy, there are quite a few things for which President-elect Obama can thank George Bush.

First and foremost, Saddam Hussein-a state sponsor of terrorism, a producer of weapons of mass destruction, a warmonger, and a genocidal maniac-is gone. The threat he posed was a nagging concern to Bill Clinton, but Clinton, lacking the political will or perhaps a good excuse, was content to consider Saddam trapped in a box. George W. Bush didn't have that luxury. After the September 11 attacks the stakes were raised and Bush understood the world could not tolerate the presence of someone like Saddam, who defied all international challenges and was actively subverting the restraints upon him.

For the last five years, Saddam has been viewed, in retrospect, as having been harmless, but that is only because he was deposed and captured by forces acting on George Bush's orders, then tried and hanged by the Iraqi people. The Baathist regime is no more.

Thank you, George W. Bush.

That difficult task, which required the terrible resolve to send men to their deaths and also required several painful readjustments of strategy and tactics, was done in time so that Obama should be able to fulfill his campaign promise of getting out of Iraq and ramping up in Afghanistan.

It will be possible for Obama to draw down the U.S. troop presence in Iraq without a precipitous, premature withdrawal that could plunge the region into genocidal chaos and leave Iran the de facto regional power. Iraq is peaceful enough now that a policy fudge by Obama there-unlike on the Guantánamo issue-is something his liberal backers are unlikely to hold against him.

With minor policy adjustments that no one will notice, much less begrudge, he can stay past his 16-month deadline and continue to build Iraq as a beacon of democracy and a U.S. ally in the Middle East. Iraq's cabinet has approved a deal asking U.S. forces to stay until 2012, and Iraq's free parliament has been debating the matter in a highly spirited fashion-including fisticuffs-not unlike the early congressional proceedings of another nascent democracy.

Thank you, George W. Bush.

In the 1990s, anyone who told you Iraq would be a functioning, U.S.-allied democracy within a few short years would have been laughed out of the room. It has come at tremendous cost in both American and Iraqi lives. It is reasonable to assume, however, given the massive ethnic blood toll Saddam inflicted to maintain his regime, that establishing a Western-leaning Iraqi democracy has been accomplished with only a fraction of the violence that would have taken place absent U.S. intervention. Iran, while it meddles and wields deadly influence, has been kept at arm's length in the process, when Iran and Syria might both have been expected to descend on a post-Saddam Iraq. This highly dangerous region is stable-and has hope of remaining so.

The very concept of democracy in the region received a major boost when Arabs saw millions of Iraqis voting while under threat of death. This evolution is playing out in fits and starts in Lebanon and even the Palestinian territories, where voters have learned that the democratic process only begins with a vote. When Hamas chose to reward its backers with a bloodbath and international isolation, George Bush used that opportunity to draw an unprecedented gathering for former adversaries together to talk peace. Meanwhile, the very delicate Pakistan has advanced, with U.S. support, from military rule to elected civilian rule and remains an ally, if a problematic one, in America's war on Islamic extremism.

Thank you, George W. Bush.

George Bush has put a bow on his gift. The U.S. military's leading counterinsurgency warrior-philosopher, General David Petraeus, who resolved the initial mistakes of the Iraq occupation, now commands U.S. forces in the entire region, including Afghanistan. As some of the same voices that despaired in Iraq, declaring quagmires and demanding precipitous withdrawal, turn their despair to Afghanistan, Obama goes into battle without having to search for his Grant. He's already been found.

Thank you, George W. Bush.

The nuclear arms race in the Middle East was checked after 2003 when Iraq was cut out of it, Libya surrendered, and Iran momentarily halted its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Iran is back in the game, and apparently Syria as well, but Europe and the U.N. have come into line with George Bush on Iran, recognizing that ultimately someone must be willing to use force when all else fails. Bush has demonstrated to Obama that it is possible to negotiate from a position of strength with the international blessing that Obama craves.

Iran is perhaps the greatest challenge Obama will face. It requires him to be willing to take action on his own and not simply manage what was initiated by Bush. The prospect of a nuclear-armed Islamic Republic of Iran is one that threatens to upset the pro-democracy, pro-American balance of power Bush has painstakingly created.

There is one thing Bush did not do for Obama, a key bit of unfinished business in a midwar transition. Bush failed to increase the number of U.S. ground forces in the immediate post-9/11 period when Congress would have signed a blank check. As a result, Obama will become commander in chief of an overstressed military at a time when there is still more fighting to be done. To establish himself as a wartime president and show that he is serious about America's obligations and vital interests in the world, Obama, among his first acts as president, must make an effort to increase the size of the Army and the Marine Corps.

George W. Bush did not solve all the problems of the world's most troubled and dangerous region. But, for all his shortcomings, he has moved them forward and established the United States as the dominant agent for change in the Middle East. Consider the mess Obama would be inheriting in the region if the Bush administration had just sat on its thumbs-Ahmadinejad's Iran with an even further advanced nuclear arms program, an aging Saddam installing one of his psychopathic sons in power or Iraq being torn apart in a genocidal nightmare. Imagine all the regimes of the region, unchastened and unimpressed by the U.S. exercise of power, looking for any weakness or advantage to exploit and quite possibly finding it in al Qaeda and its affiliates.

Bush has set conditions that could allow Obama, if he abandons the desire to be liked as the underlying principle of his foreign policy and sticks to the path the Bush administration has laid out, to preside over the greatest blossoming of liberal democracy and stability the Middle East has ever seen, and in all likelihood, to get the credit for it.

For all of this, Barack Obama owes George W. Bush a tremendous debt of gratitude.

Jules Crittenden is an editor at the Boston Herald and blogs at JulesCrittenden.com.