Kabuki at Camp Cupcake

Bush: "You know I don't know, Katie, it's a good question. I would certainly hope so. In other words, if we're able to redeploy at some point time, I would hope so."

Bush then lapsed back into his familiar scare tactics: "Failure in Iraq would be a disaster for the United States. . . . The American people have got to understand that what happens in Iraq matters in the streets. And so therefore I would hope that people would, you know, listen to the facts and remember that the security of the country is at stake. "

Couric raised the withdrawal issue again: "But just hearing those two words -- troop reduction -- do think it will win some people over who are uncomfortable with this war?"

And this time, Bush backed down: "That was just speculating. It's not going to win anybody over until it becomes a reality."

Bush met with reporters on Air Force One after leaving Iraq, and made it clear he was aware that his comment about troop reductions had piqued interest. "Maybe I was intending to do that," he said.

"If you look at my comments over the past eight months, it's gone from a security situation in the sense that we're either going to get out and there will be chaos, or more troops," the president said. "Now the situation has changed where I'm able to speculate on the hypothetical. . . . Isn't that remarkable?"

Here's the full pool report on his Air Force One interview. No official transcript has been released.

The Suspense Charade

Much of the press seems to be going along with a narrative that involves suspense over what Petraeus and Crocker will say and what Bush will decide. It's true that the public doesn't know the details yet, but it really couldn't be more obvious that Bush already knows full well what Petraeus and Crocker will tell Congress next week -- and has already decided on what he himself will tell the nation the following week. What's going on now is not deliberation, it's a PR campaign.

In her interview with Bush yesterday, ABC News's Martha Raddatz called Bush on his constant request that the public and Congress wait until the Petraeus and Crocker report to formulate a judgment. Hasn't he already decided the surge will continue for a while?

"Bush: That's going to be up to the recommendations of General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker. No question that the reinforcements and the surge have made a difference and we are standing in a province where it has made a significant difference. And so I'm looking forward to what they have to say as to how to continue security and at the same time enhance the reconciliation process.

"Raddatz: General Petraeus -- we talked to this morning and he said he's given you his recommendation already this morning.

"Bush: Well I'm not going to give it to you now, I'm going to wait for General Petraeus to come and speak to the country. I wanted to make sure that that which he had shared with me before was something that he genuinely believed."