Is The Public Gonna Buy It?

If the U.S. had embedded thousands of advisors with the Iraqi army and security forces at the beginning of the occupation perhaps the unraveling of that beleaguered country would have been prevented. Or at least mitigated.

That is assuming that Bremer had not dissolved the Iraqi army at a crucial time when we needed them to keep the country under control.

Or even tried that approach in a big way early on with the U.S.-created Iraqi army.

But the plan announced by President Bush is -- of course -- too little, too late.

And specifies more combat involvement than training or Special Forces advisor missions.

This is not a change in "strategy" as so many clods are parroting. A limited modification of tactics is a more accurate description.

That doesn't stop the spinning.

The White House recognized that a speech will not convert critics. "Nobody is under illusions that the public is going to be turned around on this," said the Bush aide, who was not authorized to speak on the record. "What you hope to accomplish with a speech like this is to show the public that there is a genuine, deep and fundamental change and there's a good chance of success."

Hardly. He must have meant "snow" the public.