It appears he will talk to the American people next week, laying out a detailed strategy for the transfer of sovereignty in Iraq. That’s good news – exactly what I was hoping for earlier this week. I hope he also explains what military strategy is in Falluja and Karbala and the south. Many of us are committed to winning this war, whatever it takes. But the endless stream of mistakes and setbacks, when placed in the context of no effective presidential communication, is no recipe for victory. There are three battles right now: the military campaign against the insurgency, the fight for political legitimacy in Iraq itself, and the opinion war in America itself. We have won much of the first, have largely lost the second, and are fast losing the third. We can still turn this around. But Bush has to lead the way.
FORTY FUNERALS AND A WEDDING: Thanks for all your furious emails about the wedding party. No, I’m not buying enemy propaganda. I wrote that the details were murky. But no one has disputed the fact of dead women and children. For skepticism about this story, check out the Belmont Club. I’ll do my best to stay on the case of what really happened.
The Dish 