Symposium: Predictions for 2007

Was it Yogi Berra or Casey Stengel who said: “It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future”? Either way, that has never been truer than it is today; the world has become decreasingly predictable, which is why I’m reluctant even to try to prognosticate. Nevertheless:

Castro will die — but not soon enough.

Saddam Hussein will be executed — but not soon enough.

Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri will continue to elude justice. (BTW, I was spot-on last year when I predicted: “Osama bin Laden will not be captured or killed in Pakistan; but Zarqawi will be captured or killed in Iraq.”)

The next big terrorist attack takes place in Europe.

The Obama surge will fizzle.

Howard Dean stays on as chairman of the DNC. (I predicted wrong on this last year.)

American newspapers will continue to lose readers. Online sources of news, information and opinion — not least NRO — will continue to thrive and evolve. I predicted last year that Fox would stay out in front of CNN and MSNBC. That trend will continue.

Air America will not make a comeback.

John Kerry will not make a comeback — and he won’t release his military records either.

Tucker Carlson will not make a comeback on Dancing with the Stars.

Neither Rich Lowry nor Bill Kristol will attempt even one stint on Dancing with the Stars.

Ninety percent of the predictions made here — and everywhere else — will turn out to be wrong.

— Clifford D. May is president of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

Read the full symposium.