As I sit here near the top of the world in India at the foothills of the Himalayas I have some wishes and some predictions for the New Year:

My Wish: We will have a speedy withdrawal from Iraq.
My Prediction: It is not going to happen.

My Wish: Hamas gets serious and negotiates with Israel.
My Prediction: It’s not going to happen.

My Wish: President Obama gets serious on real economic reform.
My Prediction: Congress will get in the way and it will not happen.

My Wish: The stock market goes back to 14,000.
My Prediction: It stays around 7,000 for most of 2009.

My Wish: There is a real program to stop foreclosures.
My Prediction: There will be increased foreclosures.

My Wish: GITMO shuts down.
My Prediction: It will.

My Wish: The Big Three automakers prosper.
My Prediction: Only two of them will be in business by the end of the year.

My Wish: The United States once again becomes the beacon of the world.
My Prediction: A much better chance under President Obama.

My Wish: The United States becomes a fairer and more just society.
My Prediction: By a couple of inches.

My Wish: A prosperous New Year.
My Prediction: Disappointment continues soon in the first quarter.