Bush Can't Make the Sale

"Media strategists noted afterward that Mr. Sforza and his aides had choreographed every aspect of the event, even down to the members of the Lincoln crew arrayed in coordinated shirt colors over Mr. Bush's right shoulder and the 'Mission Accomplished' banner placed to perfectly capture the president and the celebratory two words in a single shot. The speech was specifically timed for what image makers call 'magic hour light,' which cast a golden glow on Mr. Bush."

Four years later, of course, that same image is a potent symbol of Bush's failure and delusion. Once again, reality matters.

Backdrops remain an obsession with this White House, but there is no place for glorious Sforzian ones anymore. They just call attention to the president's shortcomings.

Bush's Confidence

Paul Krugman writes in his New York Times opinion column: "In a coordinated public relations offensive, the White House is using reliably friendly pundits -- amazingly, they still exist -- to put out the word that President Bush is as upbeat and confident as ever. It might even be true.

"What I don't understand is why we're supposed to consider Bush's continuing confidence a good thing."

Bush's confidence "shows he has lost touch with reality," Krugman writes. "Actually, it's not clear that he ever was in touch with reality. . . .

"Yet while Bush no longer has many true believers, he still has plenty of enablers"

And one of those enablers, of course, is William Kristol -- whose enabling is apparently much appreciated. Howard Kurtz writes in The Washington Post: "Bill Kristol's the-war-is-being-won piece in The Washington Post brought him plenty of ridicule, but at least one person liked it.

"President Bush read the July 15 Outlook article that morning and recommended it to his staff."

No Plan B

The ultimate example of Bush's intransigence on the war is his refusal to contemplate a Plan B.

Last week, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton asked the Pentagon about what planning if any it had done for the eventual withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. Undersecretary Eric Edelman responded by saying public discussion of such matters "reinforces enemy propaganda."

But what if the surge isn't working? What if it's time to start pulling out? What can be done to minimize the risks to Iraqis and Americans alike? Apparently, those questions are not welcome in Bush's government.