ARTICLE: "Surging Ahead In Iraq," By Max Boot, Wall Street Journal, May 15, 2007, Pg. 17

Combine this article with Jaffe's and Ignatius' and one gets the feeling of complete disarray in this administration. You can blame the disconnect cited on the Dems, but they act on the mandate of the midterms--the public's pronounced political feedback to Bush. Blaming them now is like blaming the judge for sentencing after the jury convicts. You don't want the time? Then don't commit the crime, which here is losing the American public over the poor administration of these postwar rebuilds in Iraq and Afghanistan. The sad thing is, we waste so much time in this premature, two-plus-year-long postpresidency masquerading as the real deal. The opportunity costs here are simply stunning. This downside alone will yield incredibly harsh historical judgments on Bush-Cheney.