It Gets Worse Anyway

WP: Bush shows pessimism on Iraq - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com:

But with midterm elections just 2 1/2 months away, Bush and his team are trying to turn the public debate away from whether the Iraq invasion has worked out to what would happen if U.S. troops were withdrawn, as some Democrats advocate. Using such terms as 'havoc' at Monday's news conference, Bush made no effort to suggest the situation in Iraq is improving. Instead, he argued: 'If you think it's bad now, imagine what Iraq would look like if the United States leaves before this government can defend itself.'

Christopher F. Gelpi, a Duke University scholar whose research on public opinion in wartime has been influential in the White House, said Bush had little choice.

'He looks foolish and not credible if he says 'We're making progress in Iraq,' ' Gelpi said. 'I think he probably would like to make that argument, but because that's not credible given the facts on the ground, this is the fallback. . . . If the only thing you can say is 'Yes, it's bad, but it could be worse,' that really is a last-ditch argument.'

Of course, what the pResident fails to address is that staying there isn't making things any better, either. We can't win, so he wants to make sure the admission of loss is made by the next guy, not him. Putz!