Iraq: The Strategery

Other people writing about Bush's press conference this morning have focused on his statement that we'll stay in Iraq as long as he's president. I didn't find that remarkable, because he's already said it repeatedly; what I think is noteworthy is the whole rambling, incoherent answer to the reporter's question about whether it's time to change strategy in Iraq. Here's the Reader's Digest version:

1. "The Pentagon is constantly adjusting tactics because they have the flexibility from the White House to do so." (Here the reporter interjects: the question was about strategy. Does Bush understand the distinction? I wouldn't bet on it...but he proceeds to try to fake it.)


2. "The strategy is to help the Iraqi people achieve their objectives and their dreams, which is a democratic society. That's the strategy....We're not leaving, so long as I'm the President." (Does Bush even have the slightest idea what the word 'strategy' means? Again: don't bet on it.)


3. "The strategic objective is to help this government succeed." (Slightly less ridiculous, but it doesn't make me any more confident that there is a strategy--much less that Bush understands what it is.)


4. "The tactics are which change." (No comment.)


5. "Now, if you say, are you going to change your strategic objective, it means you're leaving before the mission is complete." (Whazzahooza? Arbitrarily putting the word 'strategic' in front of 'objective' doesn't make 'objective' mean the same thing as 'strategy'.)


6. "And so we have changed tactics. Our commanders have got the flexibility necessary to change tactics on the ground, starting with Plan Baghdad." (Back to talking tactics rather than strategy. Lather, rinse, repeat.)

Now, I know this is all old hat--that everyone who's paying attention knows Bush doesn't have the slightest idea what he's talking about. That doesn't mean it isn't worth noting. Bush's complete inability to articulate anything resembling a strategy for Iraq nearly 3 1/2 years into our engagement there illustrates why it is and always had to be the monumental clusterfuck we see today.

As always, Captain Willard says it all:

Kurtz: "What did they tell you?"
Willard: "They told me that you had gone totally insane, and that your methods were unsound."
Kurtz: "Are my methods unsound?"
Willard: "I don't see any method, at all, sir."

[That's all, folks]