First came the high court's vote in April when Justice Samuel Alito, put there by Bush, was the deciding vote in upholding the federal Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. That was followed last week by a ruling to significantly weaken the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance regulations. Alito was the key vote on that one, too, ruling in favor of free speech, something the McCain-Feingold law -- better known as the incumbent-protection act -- sought to restrict.

While their longevity is in question, depending on who wins the White House next year, Bush's tax cuts have clearly strengthened the economy in more ways than one. They helped it overcome some huge body blows, including the 9/11 attacks on America, the Enron/accounting scandals that rocked the financial markets and Hurricane Katrina.

But on another level, the increased economic growth has produced a wave of revenues that has slashed an estimated $400 billion deficit in half and will likely eliminate it before the decade is over.

Much has been said about how the Bush presidency has alienated our allies across the globe. In fact, political changes in Europe and elsewhere have produced new leaders who are much friendlier to the United States and closer to Bush and his worldview.

The newly elected leaders of France and Germany are noticeably pro-American and have reached out to form a closer alliance with the United States on a number of economic fronts.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will no doubt seek to set his own policies on Iraq and other issues but will likely continue the very "special relationship" between our two countries that Tony Blair has fostered. By the way, Brown vacations on Cape Cod. Bush's personal, pick-up-the-phone-and-let's-talk diplomacy has done much to strengthen and steer these and other global relationships into a stronger bond than before.

At times, it may appear like the world is going to hell in a handbasket, but there are some good things happening out there -- like a global economic boom that is lifting once-Third World countries out of poverty. You just need to look in the right places to find them.