That was before the war in Iraq; before Abu Ghraib, Guantnamo Bay and Fallujah became household names; before the compassionate conservative lurched to the right on stem-cell research and gay marriage; before the budget deficit lurched out of control.

• 不过那时伊拉克战争还没有发生；阿布哈里卜、关塔那摩湾和费卢杰还不像今天这样家喻户晓；富有同情心的保守派还没有坚决反对干细胞研究和同性恋婚姻；财政预算赤字还没有突然失控。