The Democrats, especially the ones who want to be President, found themselves in a predicament last week. Why? Because the nation’s gross domestic product rose by a remarkable 7.2 percent in the third quarter of the year, signaling a turn in the right direction for the previously slumping economy. Thus, the Democrats may have lost one of their projected key campaign issues against President Bush next year.

Gross domestic product is a measure of all the goods and services produced in the United States over a given period of time.

In the quarter spanning from July through September, most economists predicted that the growth rate would be significant, about 6.1 percent, but nobody expected it would come near 7.2 percent. This represents the fastest growth rate over a single quarter since 1984, when Ronald Reagan was in the Oval Office.

Clearly, the Bush tax cuts have worked. Contrary to the left’s whine that the tax cuts only benefit the super rich, average Americans received a check back from the government and invested it back into the economy on so-called durable goods, such as appliances and cars.

Even though some of the richer Americans may have invested the money, Democratic gloom-and-doom predictions clearly did not pan out, once again.

Now, one must remember that this extraordinary rate of growth will not be sustained every quarter. The reason is simply because the effect of the tax cuts won’t be felt as greatly with each passing quarter.

However, a new level of consumer confidence has been reached with these third-quarter figures, and people will now be more likely to invest their money in the economy, resulting in more growth.

You wouldn’t have heard that if you had talked to the Democratic presidential candidates last week though. Front-runner Howard Dean proclaimed in a press release, “The Bush Administration spend trillions on tax cuts for the wealthy, put us trillions in debt, and delivered pink slips to 3.2 million Americans.”

Yes, you heard right. Dean is saying that one man determines the fate of the largest economy the world has ever known. And what did I say about Democrats and the “tax cuts for the wealthy” refrain?

It must be pretty tough that in the wake of the best economic figures in quite some time, the Democrats find themselves clinging desperately to the bad times of the past.

True, millions of jobs have been lost over the past few years, but the economic downturn began in March of 2000, when Bill Clinton was still president, and it was worsened by 9/11. This is a step in the right direction, for sure.

With the economy on the rebound, Bush needs to get Iraq under control to secure his re-election next November. It is becoming more and more evident that the 130,000 or so troops that we have over there now are not a sufficient amount to deal with the resistance.

Rather than pulling out altogether, which would be an absolutely disastrous move at this point, more troops should be sent. This will hasten the rebuilding process and provide more security for the troops already in Iraq.

Bush cannot allow the terrorists and Saddam loyalists to have any more success against our troops than what has already taken place.

In this view, if Iraq starts getting under more control, Bush will cruise to a victory over whichever Democrat emerges from that crowded and divided field.

If nothing changes between now and next fall, he will be in for more of a dogfight than he knows. Bush himself needs to recognize this fact and make the necessary changes in personnel and operation strategy to ensure that we will prevail.

Since the war itself was justified both legally and morally, it is important for us to prevail in these guerilla campaigns. If we don’t, revisionisthistorians will begin claiming that America was on the wrong side of history with this entire operation.

But as a result of Bush’s bold actions, a deceptive and deceitful dictator has been toppled, and 25 million people are free from his rule and on their way to self-rule. We cannot allow what is happening now to overshadow this.

The situation must improve soon. Given the recent positive economic numbers, an improved Iraq should spell a second term for President Bush, something this country needs at this juncture in history.