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I'LL TAKE THAT BET. Bill Kristol may or may not actually believe that Bush will be judged as a successful president, as Ezra points out, but in order to appear at least somewhat credible he has to at least pretend to believe it. The one sure way to find out if someone really believes something is whether they're willing to bet on it. I would, for instance, be very willing to bet any sum of money at any set of odds that the sun will come up tomorrow. Kristol may not be that sure about Bush's reputation, but he does say the following:
What it comes down to is this: If Petraeus succeeds in Iraq, and a Republican wins in 2008, Bush will be viewed as a successful president.The only way to interpret this logically is that Kristol likes the odds of Petraeus succeeding and a Republican being elected in 2008 to which I can only say... I'll take that bet. I'll even give him very good odds. Somehow don't think he'll take me up on the offer, but the next time he shows his face on a talk show he should be offered the bet. It's a lose-lose for him: either he embarrasses himself by refusing or he embarrasses himself when he pays out or reneges. I want a cut, though. --Sam BoydI like the odds.
