Why he can't win. How we can.

In the midst of a longish post that's worth your attention in it's entirety (aren't they all?), Digby offers up a point worth emphasis, one that's too seldom made, but needs to be understood. Looking at Bush's aims in Iraq, the Hullabalooer notes that...

His hope is that Iraq can put together some vague semblance of a working government so that he can declare victory --- and stay.

And stay.

That's key. There's no evidence that it has ever been the intention of the administration to 'win' (whatever that might mean, however it might be accomplished) the war and bring the troops home. There's plenty of evidence that there's been an effort to identify and install a compliant government in Iraq that would tolerate a long term plan for staging American troops in the country from permanent bases. Sadly for Bushco™, there doesn't seem to be any faction in the Iraqi body politic that has any interest in supporting that plan at all.

One of the hallmarks of the Bush administration, of course, has been a persistent refusal to recognize failures and adjust. I have no doubt that the hope Digby describes continues to occupy the mind of the President. The problem is that at every step of the way, it has become increasingly clear that there will never be a working government, or even a vague semblance of one, while we stay.

Digby also passes along a comment from a reader that is not only a useful debating point, but, as he points out, has "…the advantage of being true."

"The Republicans lost the war in Iraq and our continued presence is rousing terrorist sentiment against us."

And there it is. George Bush set out to install a client government that would allow him to establish a permanent staging site for America troops in the middle east. After spending hundreds of billions of dollars and lives, he has failed miserably. Putting our troops in harms way in Iraq is only putting our nation in greater jeopardy.

George Bush doesn't know he's lost. He won't allow himself to know. I'm not sure enough noise can be made, enough people can march, enough moms can camp out, to make him know.

George Bush won't end the war.

Congress can.

2006. It's already here - the recruiting, the fundraising, defining the issues. Be there now.