WaPo: Bush Faces Dual Challenges on Iraq (must read)

[grytpype]

WaPo says on page A1 this morning that Bush is facing total failure of his Iraq policy and that failure is probably inevitable.

Bush Faces Dual Challenges on Iraq

By Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 25, 2005; Page A01

As he leads a fierce campaign this month to rebut criticism of the Iraq war, President Bush faces twin challenges -- one of them rooted in history, the other in the political realities of the moment.

Bush's historical burden is that there is no recent precedent for a leader using persuasion to reverse a steady downward slide for a military venture of the sort he is facing. Only clear evidence of success in Iraq is likely to alleviate widespread unease about the central project of this presidency, public opinion experts and political strategists say.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/24/AR2005112400963.html

much more at link, READ!!!!!

[Davis_X_Machina]

1. I hope Tom Friedman of the Times...

...reads this piece.

The Moustache of Understanding seems to think that some bubbles can be un-popped, if we would just believe!

(And a hearty Thanksgiving ying-tong-iddle-i-po to you and Bluebottle.)

[Elidor]

2. "It's important to remember"

"There are a lot of forces out there that are very determined to make sure this doesn't look like a success. . . . So it's unlikely it will look like a clear success."

Truer words were never spoken. Unintentional hilarity.

"But Bartlett said White House officials do not accept the possibility that Iraq will remain a continuing drag on Bush's presidency. "When you're in a tough spot -- and we're in a tough spot because of the nature of the enemy and the debate at home -- the snapshots will reflect public opinion," he said. "But we don't think they're permanent."

I do.

[meg]

3. Dan Balz carries WH water

New talking point: Bush is a visionary but we were just too impatient to see the fruits of his vision.

"...expressed confidence that they will recover because the public fundamentally regards Bush as "a person of honesty and integrity."

BS BS BS

[cliss]

4. Now, there's a great comment...

"Bush is a visionary". The problem is, that Americans are well-known for being impatient, we want quick results, don't know the meaning of 'wait'.

Then WHY did he do it?

There's a recipe for failure, if I ever saw one. I think I read, just a while back, when Laura Bush was pleading for patience in Iraq. She said that Americans are well-known for not giving things enough time, and she wanted people to wait.