his October month, though still in its teens, appears to be slipping away and getting away with far too little comment on issues of significance. What a shame that President Bush got us into the wrong war at the wrong time. Iraq was not the enemy, nor were they responsible for the dastardly acts of 9/11. He wanted his war and he got it. If only Bush had the sagacity, knowledge and dedication to go after the real enemies. He proclaimed himself the war president and thousands died there and many more will be killed. How does he sleep at night?

The war in Afghanistan has just passed its eighth anniversary of US involvement. W's successor is finding it more and more difficult to get out of the hellish circumstances of the battle with the Taliban, the war lords and all that is on-going from Kabul to the border with Pakistan. Had we not had the Bush proclaimed "shock and awe" of the second Iraq war, there is every likelihood that the Taliban would not be the dangerous and growing force that they have become. And, possibly, Bin Laden would have been killed, or, preferably, arrested and brought to justice. This week President Obama is meeting at the White House with his most trusted advisors, lead by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State. It would appear most likely that the leadership on the ground in Afghanistan will get the added troop numbers thought to be necessary to turn the tide in that war.

Which leads me to the most frequently asked question e-mailed to me. Over and over I have been asked, with passion, "You voted for him and look what you got," An accusatory statement followed by "Would you vote for him again?" The answer, probably; certainly if the choice was between President Obama and those who ran against him. Hillary Clinton would still have been my second choice. The wars, the economy, the attempts to improve health care in this country, all have brought tremendous pressures on the administration, and I still believe that, as a team, the President his cabinet and the majority of both the House and Senate are on the right track.

Beyond that:

We didn't win the 2012 Olympics for Chicago. It doesn't really matter. Maybe they'll win the games another time, when Chicago's children stop killing each other.

David Letterman's ratings will continue to improve against the late-night competition, despite, or possibly because of the sexual exploits that lead a weird colleague to attempt to extort money from him.

I've a strong suspicion that the charismatic former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, will return to the public stage very soon. The European Union leaders are contemplating him as the likely leader of the European Union; the bloc's first full-time president. Nothing is a fore-gone conclusion until Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, lets her preference be known.

I think the most compelling argument for Blair's candidacy is that he is articulate, aged 56, and he has the strongest personality of those in contest for the office. He would represent well the voice and concerns of the European Union in his discussions with the likes of President Obama and Vladimir Putin. The EU is the 27-member organization of European countries. More to come on this story and many more.

Until tomorrow,