Proving that Bush never said the end game would be easy is not anybody's job but Bush's. Sullivan does a once over series of extrapolations of "what Bush really said" but Bush didn't do what a leader has to do, and that is lead. Leading is a 24 hour a day job, every day. He has failed. He obviously had no plan for Iraq that is working. The plan, if there was one, failed. To assert to us now that the attacks in Baghdad mean "we are winning" is like "we destroyed the town in order to save it". VDH said what HE THINKS the Bush policy is. Sullivan does ditto, and many writers also weigh in, but Bush goes to the ranch, the Far East, and firmly communicates bromides. None of us were prepared for the two killings per day because Bush didn't prepare us. He doesn't talk to us. Nothing guys like me can say is policy. Yes, I am pissed. Really pissed. I'd vote for anyone who would actually offer some leadership.

My belief is that Bush will be re-elected and then many will be through with the Republican Party. They led us into a war with no plan for resolution, with intel they had to know was poor by their past performance, and our troops were set up to be killed.

Nobody writing anything anywhere changes policy. Only Bush can set or change policy, and Bush is pathetically inadequate to articulate anything. We are at war. Bush puts a guy on trial for "rough interrogation", an interrogation that saved American lives. Bush is putting him on trial. Bush is the leader. "Stay the course", "we are winning", etc., etc. etc. is not leadership. Sick and wounded at Ft. Stewart are abused, only Senators bother to take a look. Now reports plus pix of the same taking place at Ft. Knox that will totally piss you off; If you can stand to read the whole thng I'll be surprised. This is Bush's fault. Wake up everybody. This is what we have in the White House, when he's not on the ranch.