Your Abbreviated Pundit Round-up

Sunday punditry.

Frank Rich:

The one indisputable talent of his White House was its ability to create and sell propaganda both to the public and the press. Now that bag of tricks is empty as well. Bush’s first and last photo-ops in Iraq could serve as bookends to his entire tenure. On Thanksgiving weekend 2003, even as the Iraqi insurgency was spiraling, his secret trip to the war zone was a P.R. slam-dunk. The photo of the beaming commander in chief bearing a supersized decorative turkey for the troops was designed to make every front page and newscast in the country, and it did. Five years later, in what was intended as a farewell victory lap to show off Iraq’s improved post-surge security, Bush was reduced to ducking shoes.

Incoming.

Michael Lewis and David Einhorn: Another winning entry from the author of Liar's Poker on how screwed up Wall Street is – and how screwed we are because of it. Tho only one who can read this and think we should continue to deregulate is Bernie Madoff.

Joe Nocera: Of quants (numbers guys) and David Einhorn (see above) and predicting risk. Do you go with the numbers or do you go with your gut? There's nothing wrong with models – so long as you know how to interpret them. A must read for Nate Silver fans, poll watchers and intuitive predictors (there's something for everyone.)

David Ignatius: The Middle East is really tough to solve. That's my expert advice for Obama. Thank goodness for people like me.

Jim Hoagland:

A strange brew of wishful thinking and studied inaction passed for George W. Bush's Middle East peace policy for eight years. But in his final days, this president must act to contain the consequences of a regional conflict he has allowed to fester.

We want Bush to do for the Middle East what he's done everywhere else? Thanks but no thanks.

Nicholas Kristof: More on sex slavery.

James R. Lee: Climate change as military issue. And you thought the weather sucked. Just wait.

George Will: How the activist courts and the Congress ruined the economy [employment and salary disparities] in the name of fairness and civil rights. Wall Street? Eh. The real problem is that you don't belong in my college.

David Broder: Here are all the terrific Republicans in Congress I will miss. Their wisdom and counsel has been replaced by who knows what kind of riff-raff, and the place won't be the same again.