Just what do you mean, Mr. President?

From a news report, Study Group Member's Advice For Bush, we read: (emp add)

Leon Panetta says on Iraq, the president has not confided in the American people and has become trapped by the slogans he's used to describe U.S. policy.

Leon Panetta: "During one meeting somebody asked him, 'Mr. President, what is victory? What do you mean by victory?' And he said, 'I know that there is a lot of concern about just exactly what it is, but it's a word that people understand and I don't want to stop using it because I'm afraid that it'll give the impression that I'm changing policy.'"

Then there was this from ABC's World News Tonight (Martha Raddatz reporting):

[About the meeting with five scholars: Keane, Downing, Cohen, Biddle, McCaffrey "known for their withering criticism of the Baker-Hamilton report released last week"]

"We are also told by one of the participants in the meeting that the president was most animated, took the most notes, Charlie, when people talked about 'victory' in Iraq, and nothing less."

Bush is so in over his head. He's stuck with a word ("victory"). He's meeting with people in order to find a way around the Baker-Hamilton report. And he's engaged when people mouth the magic word ("victory" again). Pathetic.


posted by Quiddity at 12/11/2006 10:12:00 PM