By Patrick J. Buchanan – April 28, 1998

Now that the Dow has crossed 9,000, the bulls of Wall Street are talking 15,000 by the end of the century, as the bears have all silently retreated deep into the recesses of their caves.

A buoyant American triumphalism is the spirit of the hour.

Japan’s economy is disintegrating, with the Nikkei average sloshing around at 60 percent below its peak. Europe has found no solution to a permanent jobless rate of 12 percent; and the Asian tigers have been neutered and declawed. At the same time, U.S. growth continues, with low inflation, low interest rates and full employment.