Breaking News: Bush Full of Shit

In what some cynics might deem a delivery long overdue, the Bush administration has released a plan it calls its National Strategy for for Victory in Iraq (which can be viewed in pdf format here, for those so inclined). In a speech at Annapolis today to coincide with the plan’s debutante cotillion, Bush reiterated his refusal to set a timetable to withdraw troops and explained to the receptive audience at the US Naval Academy where he spoke, “"As Iraqi forces gain experience and the political process advances, we will be able to decrease our troop level in Iraq without losing our capability to defeat the terrorists… These decisions about troop levels will be driven by the conditions on the ground in Iraq and the good judgment of our commanders, not by artificial timetables set by politicians in Washington."

Even before Bush finished speaking, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid issued a statement claiming that Bush "recycled his tired rhetoric of 'stay the course' and once again missed an opportunity to lay out a real strategy for success in Iraq that will bring our troops safely home."

Think Progress’ rapid response to the plan notes:

After two-and-a-half years and 2,110 U.S. troop fatalities, the Bush administration released what it calls a “National Strategy for Victory in Iraq” (NSVI). The problem is, it’s not a new strategy for success in Iraq; it’s a public relations document. The strategy describes what has transpired in Iraq to date as a resounding success and stubbornly refuses to establish any standards for accountability. It dismisses serious problems such as the dramatic increase in bombings as “metrics that the terrorists and insurgents want the world to use.” Americans understand it’s time for a new course in Iraq. Unfortunately, this document is little more than an extended justification for a President “determined to stay his course.”

Wait—so Bush is more interested in politics than progress?! Shocking.