Interesting piece, Mr. Birkenhead; I loved the JFK quote -- most politicians don't talk like that anymore, unfortunately. As for the doubt "we" are all feeling, I dunno. To me, it feels like the supposed abandonment of doubt really highlights profound ambivalence in the American psyche about where America's at as a country, rather than a confirmation of our status as the Humble Empire.

If people are cleaving to puffed-up toy soldiers with childish proclamations of doubtlessness and certainty (and faith, because you gotta have faith, right?), then why do people consistently poll as feeling that the country's on the wrong path? People appear to have grave doubts about their leaders, despite (or perhaps because of) the certainty of their positions.

The drive against doubt seems more like a pose, a rationalization -- the monster is still under the bed, but people are pretending that it's not there, or that they're not scared of it, or that a surefooted, blockheaded, glib Leader can protect them from the monster.

Power might keep reality at bay awhile longer, but I think everyday Americans are way ahead of their leaders and other popular institutions on matters of skepticism versus certainty.

If anything, I see the leadership as taking those cavalier stances as a bulwark against the negative scrutiny they're inflicted with by the populace they're ruling. Even when the GOP had the country quaking in its cowboy boots after 9/11, when Bush all but walked on water in the approval ratings, they still micromanaged his appearances, ensured only the Kool-Aid Kontingent was allowed to see him in "public" settings. They still keep everything very much under wraps -- like the nagging insecurity of the bully, I can't help but think the doubtless bravado's just what is offered up in the absence of honest, principled leadership.

Blaming Americans for this is like blaming audiences for the crap on television, the industry saying "We're giving the audience what it wants." Yeah, and they're bleeding audience share, just as at the approval rankings of all of the dominant institutions in this country are very, very low. The doubtlessness, the swagger, is all bluff, because the leadership in this country is holding on by its fingernails, and has no clue what to do next -- and not just Bush, but across the board, the professional political class, the professional media class -- they resemble each other more than they resemble the rest of the country.

They're pretending to do their jobs, and "we're" pretending to respect them.

If the heat comes to Gitmo, won't the Bushies just airlift the prisoners to host countries where we warehouse people we don't like? Like Libya, most recently (and ironically). Under the pretense of an "international" effort against terrorism? "International" being defined as anybody who will work with us on this illegal, unconstitutional incarceration program.

Then the Bush League can hold their hands up and say "Look, Ma, no prisoners! They're in these other countries, and we respect the sovereignty of those countries in their administration of justice blah blah yakity yak-yak."

If we're willing to undertake extraordinary rendition, then a game of musical chairs with prisoners would seem a logical next step -- ironically enough, it would be with prisoners what we've accused so-called pariah states of doing with their covert nuclear programs to avoid inspectors.

What I doubt will happen is those prisoners will be let go.

Democrats in Name Only.

That's why the Democrats need the 60 votes. While Republicans of "moderate" and "conservative" persuasion invariably close ranks on most issues, the Democratic majority is cobbled together -- a tiny number of liberals, a lot of moderates, many conservatives, a few reactionaries. Only on the most do-or-die issues will the Democrats hold togther, and even then they usually have defectors.

The Republicans hold a much tighter, tougher, and harder line -- the Republicans who crossed the line on the Gonzovote were all ones in electoral jeopardy, and had to at least appear to care about the performance of Bush's cronies.