Spinner in Chief

Notes Weisman: "What he left out of his analogy is that while the Constitutional Convention of Philadelphia was convening, there was not an insurgency in the countryside that seemed to be growing because of disaffection with the political process."

Jonathan Finer and Omar Fekeiki , in The Washington Post, describe the scene at a ceremony in Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's home.

"As the event concluded, several people celebrated with high-pitched ululations. But some attendees were in no mood for festivities.

" 'It was a nice show for the president of the United States as he wakes up now, but for us it was very bad,' said Mishan Jabouri, one of four Sunni Arab assembly members among the dozens of lawmakers at the event. None of the Sunnis expressed support for the constitution."

Barrel of a Gun, or Not?

Bush on Saturday : "What is important is that Iraqis are now addressing these issues through debate and discussion -- not at the barrel of a gun."

Bush on Sunday : "The negotiators and drafters of this document braved the intimidation of terrorists and they mourn the cowardly assassination of friends and colleagues involved in the process of drafting the constitution."

Brace for More

One thing Bush has absolutely stopped doing is issuing optimistic predictions for Iraq's near term.

Here's what he said yesterday: "As democracy in Iraq takes root, the enemies of freedom, the terrorists, will become more desperate, more despicable, and more vicious."

Bush's Good News

The good news for Bush is that in spite of a growing antiwar movement sparked by "Peace Mom" Cindy Sheehan, Democratic Party leaders are still by and large supporting the war.

Sam Coates writes in The Washington Post: "Senior Democrats sought to distance themselves Sunday from Sheehan's protest. On 'Fox News Sunday,' Byron L. Dorgan (N.D.), a member of the Senate Democratic leadership, said: 'If we withdrew tomorrow, there would be a bloodbath in Iraq. We can't do that.' "

Doyle McManus writes in the Los Angeles Times: "After a summer of mounting discontent over the war in Iraq, President Bush will face renewed criticism from Democrats and Republicans when Congress returns to work next week. But he appears unlikely to come up against an effective challenge to his policy -- because his critics in both parties are deeply divided over what change in course to propose. . . .

"Most of the public may be 'uneasy about the war,' said Dan Bartlett, a counselor to the president who serves as Bush's top communications strategist, 'but they don't support the precipitous withdrawal of troops.' . . .