Then there were the 2006 midterms, before which Kristol said this:



Today, Nancy Pelosi endorsed withdrawal from Iraq. Her statement is a political opportunity for the GOP. Until now, it seemed to me more likely than not that Democrats would win back the House in 2006: Bush's numbers are bad; the GOP is getting no credit for a strong economy (which could in any case weaken by a year from now); the Abramoff scandal is going to get bigger; 12 years in charge of the House, and three years in control of all three elected bodies, have created weariness and dissatisfaction with the GOP. All this made me think the 2006 elections could result in a Speaker Pelosi. I now think that unlikely.

He also said:



They can talk themselves into a frenzy about illegal immigration, of course. But on this issue, the Senate managed -- contrary to the conventional wisdom of late April -- easily to pass a sensible and comprehensive immigration reform bill. And House Republicans now show some signs of coming to realize that talk radio is not always the best source of policy guidance. Enough of them may come to realize that passing legislation they regard as flawed would be better than going home to the voters having achieved nothing. So Bush could have an immigration reform signing ceremony to look forward to in the fall.



Another gem from 2006:



Congress extended, and the president signed, the wildly successful supply-side tax cuts on interest and dividend income originally passed in 2003. The new tax rates are now in force until 2010, providing helpful certainty for the economy and the markets..."

Kristol's read on the political landscape in January 2004?



[Howard] Dean could, of course, still lose the nomination. But he's in an awfully strong position. He leads in the polls, in money, in organization, and in proven ability to generate enthusiastic and committed supporters. He is opposed by a fragmented field. Still, he could falter, and if he did, Wesley Clark would seem to have the best chance to overtake him.

His analysis on March 26, 2001:

The truth is, liberal secularists like the good Reverend Lynn see the interest and passion generated by President Bush's faith-based initiative. They sense that something big is happening... George W. Bush understands this is his signature initiative. Tax cuts are good, and missile defense is important -- but both are traditional, Reagan-era agenda items. If this president is to have a distinctive legacy, it's likely to be that he brought an end to decades of government hostility to religion and inaugurated a neo-Tocquevillean era in which religion and liberty, pluralism and faith, are no longer at odds.



July 3, 2000:

In sum: With a Bush administration, there is a fighting chance to roll back the worst excesses of liberal judicial activism, even a prospect of removing Roe, keystone of the modern imperial judiciary.

May 22, 1999:

China should and will emerge as a central issue in American politics over the next 18 months, and especially in the 2000 presidential campaign.

May 4, 1998:

I know, I know. His approval rating is sky-high. The American people don't want to hear about his sex life. Ken Starr has a tin ear for politics. Republicans in Congress are afraid of taking Clinton on. All more or less true. But all, ultimately, more or less irrelevant. A year from now, Clinton will be gone.

January 19, 1998:

...abortion is likely to emerge as the central issue in the presidential campaign of 2000. Or, more precisely, the status of Roe v. Wade is likely to emerge as the central issue.

November 6, 1995:

Lamar Alexander. Bill Clinton. Bob Dole. Newt Gingrich. Phil Gramm. Colin Powell. One of these six will almost certainly be our next president. Which will it be? Not, I think, Clinton... Clinton is weak and untrustworthy at a time when Americans crave strength and honesty.

September 8, 1995:

Suddenly, Bob Dole's nomination no longer seems inevitable. Having won less than a quarter of the vote in the Iowa straw poll, he now trails Bill Clinton in national surveys. Focus groups suggest that the age issue is beginning to bite, and the return of a campaign contribution to a group of gay Republicans indicates a touch of panic. Maybe the Dole campaign will shake off these troubles and cruise to victory. But maybe not... If I had to bet today on one person for the Republican presidential nomination, I'd put my money on Colin Powell.

Tentative conclusion: when it comes to American politics, there is an extraordinarily weak relationship between what Kristol confidently predicts is going to happen and what actually happens.

