They Won't Follow Us Home

Benchmark Watch

Bush's schedule originally called for no observation whatsoever of the four-year-anniversary of the war. But he added a brief statement late this morning.

Among his assertions: That there are "hopeful signs" in Iraq. One such sign, he said, was that "the Iraqi government has completed the deployment of three Iraqi army brigades to the capital."

But Bush didn't mention that those three brigades were supposed to have arrived a month ago. (See my February 16 column, Where's the Accountability?)

And furthermore, it's not clear they're really there, at least not in full force. As Karen DeYoung wrote in the March 10 Washington Post, Bush used almost exactly the same words on March 6. But, DeYoung wrote: "Bush's assessment appeared less than fully accurate. . . . [A] senior U.S. military official in Baghdad said this week that two Iraqi brigades and one battalion of a third have arrived in Baghdad."

After his emotionless statement, Bush turned and walked quickly out the room, ignoring a question by CBS News's Bill Plante about how much longer he was willing to wait for the Iraqis to take control.

Getting Testy

Congressional Democrats continue to promote a plan to bring U.S. combat troops home by the end of August 2008.

Ed Henry reported for CNN this morning: "Tony Snow a few moments ago in an off-camera briefing telling reporters that the president wants to talk about how this plan by the Democrats is a, quote, 'recipe for defeat' and how it would, quote 'provide victory for the enemy'. Now when I pressed Tony Snow and said 'What's your recipe for success?' he got a little frustrated and thought I was interrupting and said, quote, 'Zip it'.

"He later apologized and acknowledged it was inappropriate to say that to me. And then when I pressed him more on the subject, he said 'Well, we're trying to turn this over to the Iraqi army' and he talked about what we've heard a lot of in the last four years, about turning this over to the Iraqis. But again, still now, Tony Snow adding the caveat that they're just not sure what's next. He said, quote, 'We don't know how things play out'. That's something the American people have heard over and over again over the last four years. And now obviously, a lot of predictions at the beginning of this war, about how long it would last, how much it would cost, have all turned out to be wrong."

Henry later explained in a bit more detail: "I pressed Tony Snow and since he's calling flatly the Democratic plan a recipe for defeat, I asked him, 'Four years later, what is the recipe for success?' Tony Snow tried to turn it around on me in this off-camera briefing, he said, 'Well what's your recipe for success, how do you define it?' And when I pointed out to him that that was inappropriate for me to answer that -- it's not up to me what the recipe for success is, what is the president's recipe for success -- Tony felt I was interrupting him and he said 'Zip it'. He later apologized, he felt that was inappropriate for him to say that to me. But I point it out because I think it shows the White House on a defensive this morning about the anniversary."

Think Progress has the video.

The Legacy

David Alexander writes for Reuters: "Four years after he began the Iraq war, a diminished President George W. Bush has sacrificed much of his domestic agenda and eroded U.S. credibility abroad in pursuit of the sort of nation-building he once scorned, analysts say."

Ann Scott Tyson writes for The Washington Post: "Four years after the invasion of Iraq, the high and growing demand for U.S. troops there and in Afghanistan has left ground forces in the United States short of the training, personnel and equipment that would be vital to fight a major ground conflict elsewhere, senior U.S. military and government officials acknowledge."