How Bush Uses His Generals

"MR. SNOW: You know, that's a good point. And it's 130 degrees for the Iraqi military. The Iraqis, you know, I'll let them -- my understanding is that at this juncture they're going to take August off, but, you know, they may change their minds."

Talking Points Memo has the video.

Losing Bob Schieffer

The August vacation sent CBS News's Bob Schieffer over the edge.

From his weekly commentary: "How much hotter do you suppose it is if you are a wearing a helmet, full body armor, carrying ammunition and walking foot patrols through Baghdad? . . .

"For me, this does it.

"God help the Iraqi people because there is not much America can do to help a government that leaves Americans dying in the streets while the parliament escapes to cooler climes."

Losing the War

Evan Thomas and Eve Conant write in Newsweek: "How do you manage the process of losing a war? Americans don't like the word 'defeat'; certainly, President George W. Bush won't be caught using it. He continues to talk of victory in Iraq, to insist that anything less is unacceptable. But his circle of true believers seems to be getting ever smaller. It may be limited to Vice President Dick Cheney, maybe a military commander or two and a few diehard senators. For everyone else in a position of authority over the war effort, there seems to be a grim recognition that Iraq is a lost cause, or very nearly so. The real question is not whether America can win, but rather how to get out. . . .

"The White House is not in panic mode, say two White House aides not authorized to speak on the record. The aides were trying to tamp down speculation after The New York Times reported serious internal divisions over what to do in Iraq. But at a Senate lunch Cheney attended last week, [Sen. Susan] Collins said she detected an unusual note of urgency. 'The vice president comes to our lunch frequently, but he speaks rarely,' Collins tells Newsweek. This time, however, Cheney spoke up to second Sen. John McCain's pitch to stay the course. 'There is a real step-up of activity in the White House,' says Collins. 'I think they are extremely worried, and they should be. There is a steady erosion of support for their policies.'"

Newsweek also reports that there are signs that the White House is losing patience with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "The White House is seriously considering a plan to lock Maliki and the others in a room until they come up with compromises on vexing issues like sharing oil revenues, says a White House official who asked for anonymity speaking about a sensitive matter. Whether the Iraqis would go along with this scheme is another question."

Messing Up the Narrative

Joshua Partlow writes for The Washington Post from the West Rashid district of Baghdad: "West Rashid confounds the prevailing narrative from top U.S. military officials that the Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq is the city's most formidable and disruptive force. While there are signs that the group has been active in the area, over the past several months, the Mahdi Army has transformed the composition of the district's neighborhoods by ruthlessly killing and driving out Sunnis and denying basic services to residents who remain."

Ned Parker writes in the Los Angeles Times: "Although Bush administration officials have frequently lashed out at Syria and Iran, accusing it of helping insurgents and militias here, the largest number of foreign fighters and suicide bombers in Iraq come from a third neighbor, Saudi Arabia, according to a senior U.S. military officer and Iraqi lawmakers."

Unfounded Optimism

Jim Rutenberg writes in the New York Times: "The mixed progress report on Iraq that the White House submitted to Congress this week included several grim assessments of the Iraqi government that contrasted with the more upbeat public statements of President Bush, his top aides and public White House briefing materials in the past few weeks."