All over the world, scoundrels are ascendant, rising on a tide of American weakness. It makes for a perilous future.

President Bush bet his presidency – and America’s world leadership – on the war in Iraq. Tragically, it looks as though he bit off more than the American people were willing to chew.

The United States is failing in Iraq. Bush’s policy was repudiated by the American people in the last election. And now America’s enemies and rivals are pressing their advantage, including Iran, Syria, the Taliban, Sudan, Russia and Venezuela. We have yet to hear from Al Qaeda.

New York Times columnist Tom Friedman had it right this week in saying that America has two choices in Iraq – a 10-month strategy of withdrawal or a 10-year strategy of “re-invasion” and rebuilding the country from the ground up, probably requiring 150,000 additional U.S. troops.

Along with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the editors of the Weekly Standard and some formerly antiwar retired generals, I favor the latter option, but it’s obvious that the American people don’t.

Conceivably, they could be persuaded to support a true “victory” strategy if President Bush made a strong case for more troops, more money and more time. But he is not doing so.

On Nov. 7, the public rejected his old strategy, based on a limited U.S. “footprint” and training for Iraqi forces – a strategy that has not worked to produce a stable Iraq.