I had been meditating on these matters while the lynch mob was forming up for Harriet Miers, the Iraqi insurgents were planning their next hit job and the special prosecutor was eyeing Karl Rove for alleged complicity in outing a supposed undercover agent opposed to the Iraq war. I think a lot of people had been similarly meditating. A lot has lately gone wrong for Bush. I had predicted his stars might realign.

 So have they? Hard to tell. I would say only that when a mega economic task comes up, it helps to have a president in charge who, in economics, is more Reagan than he is Al Gore. For blessings of this sort, we might consider -- down as we get on Bush sometimes -- demobilizing the attack vehicle for, oh, 15 minutes or so. I suppose it must be a function of age. I find it harder and harder to get mad and stay mad at politicians over the human stupidities for which they fall. I admire those who fall less often and less hard than others. In the end, none has quite the power and vision, and even luck, which supporters ascribe to him.

 No democratic political leader hits a home run every time at plate. More often, the box score records bunts, infield singles and the occasional foul-out.

 Ben Bernanke is a home run -- that we know. The batter was Bush. We grumbling conservatives might still wish Reagan were in the White House. But he's not, and we're not necessarily doing as badly as we sometimes think -- I mean, given some of the alternatives.