Have you seen this link?  The web site is ForgiveGeorge.com.  I saw the link and thought I’d go there for a laugh, but the tag line got me.  It’s a very minimalist site, only a line crawling across the screen – “Giving up all hope for a better past”.  For those of you with a great memory for comedians (or a search engine), you might know this as a Lily Tomlin quote, but for me this hits home.  I’ve spoken with a lot of people who long for a better past.  What if … Gore had won Florida … 911 never happened … we’d rejected a second Bush term?  But there’s no changing that.  It’s done and we need to move on.  The right is not immune to this either.  I’ve met many a Republican who see red at the mention of Bill Clinton a decade after Monica.  Maybe they can move on with me.  It’s not that the President is asking for my forgiveness.  He’s said history will vindicate his choices.  I believe this is the greatest of his sins – looking back upon the devastation of the last eight years with pride – but that’s done as well.  So welcome 2009.  Welcome to the new President, the new Congress, the New Year.  I forgive George Bush.