10 New Year's Resolution Suggestions for President Bush

1. Give up on the idea of a democratic Iraq. While the Democratic cries for troop withdrawals may be premature (and a little too far to the left), the notion that the troops should stay until a democratically elected and U.S. friendly government is in place in Iraq is a lost, hopeless dream. Meet Congress halfway and decide what success should look like, and then make that happen.

2. Take a less hostile approach to Iraq, Syria and North Korea. All of the rhetoric isn't working. Largely due to an overstretched American military, these rogue nations are feeling empowered, and it's time for the U.S. to humble itself, sit down with our enemies, hear their gripes and then figure out how we can find common ground. IT's the only way that true world peace is possible.

3. Don't just reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act; fully fund it! This was one of your more progressive, ambitious and non-partisan maneuvers of your entire presidency. Holding school systems to high performance standards is something that no one would disagree with. By making sure there is adequate funding to make higher standards achievable, the mismanagement of Iraq may be mitigated by one of the most significant domestic initiatives by the White House since The Great Society.

4. Ditto the faith-based initiative. By now, everyone should know that your faith-based initiative didn't make any new federal funds available for faith-based groups. It did make access to existing federal funds easier for faith-based groups, which is a step in the right direction, but supporting these groups in their efforts to serve communities will only achieve an impact with significant funding. At this point, a token amount of funding would be adequate. It would set a precedent for your successor.

5. Reconsider your view on tax cuts. I know that tax cuts is one of the defining philosophies of the Republican Party, but the new Congress will have none of it. Try to see their point of view that giving tax relief to the nation's wealthiest businesses and individuals may not be the best way to go.

6. Stop listening to whatever Dick Cheyney is telling you. His advice is bad, it's wrong, and he's a big part of the reason why your approval rating is in the toilet. The best thing about the Vice Presidency is that it is a no lose position. History will credit - or blame - you and you alone for whatever happens during your eight years in office. Don't spend the last two years being guided by misguided.

7. Commit yourself to developing alternative fuels. Your 2006 state of the union address about the country being addicted to oil was right on target. But what have you done since then? You're an oil guy so this will be really hard, but tax the record profits of the Exxons and Mobils and use the funds to launch some meaningful research and study into freeing us from the whims of OPEC.

8. Be less arrogant and more humble. If any of these things are to come to fruition, you will need to make an effort to understand that the way you see things is not always the best way. Arrogance had as much to do with Donald Rumsfeld's fall as much as incompetence. Learn from his lesson and try to listen to other points of view.

9. Bring Laura into the limelight. Her tenure as First Lady has been mostly nondescript. Give her a chance to shine during your last two years in office!

10. Stop relying on the spin doctors and just speak from the heart for a change. You spend too much time regurgitating words and phrases that are not your own, and the transparency is not just ineffective, it's downright insulting. Whether they voted for you or not, the American people love their country and want to believe in their leader. Do something, ANYTHING, to make us believe that that is a possibility.