When I first saw the above video, I thought perhaps someone had edited it to make it seem like Ron's predictions from 2002 were more accurate then they were.

Nope.

When you watch the C-SPAN version below you see the exact same remarks verbatim, without the added commentary.

Just to make sure, I sourced this back to the original page on C-SPAN.Note at the 1:28 mark where he predicts "Some of our moderate Arab allies will be overthrown by Islamic fundamentalists."



Got that right.

And then there's this from the CNN transcript (which is in all CAPS for some reason):

Go to the bottom of this page for a rolling transcript of the entire speech (with some typos). Another fun line:

DURING THE NEXT DECADE, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL BECOME POORER AND LESS FREE, WHILE THEY BECOME MORE DEPENDENT ON THE GOVERNMENT FOR ECONOMIC SECURITY.

And then:

Ten years out, the only thing wrong with these predictions is that he wasn't pessimistic enough.

I'm sure that many of those in the chamber on that day and also those watching the speech on C-SPAN, asked themselves "Who is this nutty naysayer?"

Turns out he wasn't so nutty after all. And he didn't say quite enough nays.

Imagine if he had gotten up there and predicted, "The U.S. will invade Iraq with no plan whatsoever for policing a hostile populace afterward."

They might have sent the men in white suits for him.

Nobody could be that dumb.

Alas, Bush was.

It's amazing how much Ron got right.

As to what he got wrong, we don't have the draft yet.

But just give President Obamney some time.