McNeil Lehrer

I watched a replay of the President's appearance on PBS last night. One of the points the President kept making is that he realizes there is a "headwind" and that many are opposed to his choices. He also stated that he would "choose victory" rather than listen to his critics. Were I the President and in this situation, I suspect I too would take on a Jimmy Stewart- one -man -against-the masses tone. It is really your only option. The trouble is that the brave and stoic posture is only effective when you don't spend all your time telling people how brave and stoic you are. Maybe the President is worried his supporters won't pick up the nuance so he needs to spell it out -- "Hey!!Look how brave and alone I am. Look at me. Face in the wind. Tough going but I will be ok"

The President also said that the Iraqis owe us a thank you. For what? For invading their country, opening the Pandora's box of sectarian violence and destroying their infrastructure. For turning their country into the rugby pitch where the Middle East's conflicts will be played out? I am trying to figure out who this delusional message was intended to sway. Is there some subset of the population who still thinks this invasion was some selfless act, some necessary bit of unpleasantness that we chose to undertake for the greater good. Who are these people and why have they fallen through the cracks of our mental health system.