Did Bush’s Chief Spook Say W. Misled the Nation?

Stephanie Condon reports:

… George W. Bush’s top intelligence aide essentially said that Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney had recently misled the public about the ground reality in Iraq.

Citing a recent National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, Vice Adm. John McConnell, the newly appointed Director of National Intelligence, said, "Current sectarian and political trends are moving in a negative direction." He added that "sectarian violence has become self-sustaining" and reported that the U.S. intelligence community has concluded "the sectarian situation will continue to deteriorate." Noting that suppressing sectarian violence and creating political unity is necessary for progress in Iraq, McConnell said, "Iraqi political leaders have a close to impossible task."

Those words struck a chord with Senator Evan Bayh, an Indiana Democrat, who came back to them later in the hearing." If theirs is close to impossible," the senator asked, "then how would you characterize our task?" At first McConnell didn’t know how to respond. After a fair bit of hesitation, he said, "Our task is similar in that it is very, very difficult."

Bayh continued to press McConnell, forcing McConnell to acknowledge that the situation in Iraq has been deteriorating for some time. "So if someone indicated four months ago we were ‘absolutely winning’ in Iraq, that is a mistaken assessment?" Bayh asked.

"I wouldn’t agree that we were winning," McConnell replied, explaining that it became clear in 2006 that conditions were worsening. Bayh then noted that comment was made by the president and vice president four months earlier. McConnell response? A very long pause. Then Bayh’s time for questions expired.

Of course that’s what Admiral McConnell was saying. We all know it’s deteriorating, and we all know that sending more troops isn’t going to make a bit of difference, no matter what happens in the short term. Do they really think they can use a little muscle and get our Iraqi antagonists to just quit it? It’s an amazingly naive thought – certainly something a professional soldier would never think.

But what’s amazing to me about this exchange is that it’s like if it’s not said aloud, then it’s not the truth. Bayh was being really cagey, getting the Admiral to contradict the President and Vice President. But how silly can you get? It reminds me of small boy hiding in a game of hide-and-seek by covering his eyes.

Winning in Iraq has never been possible!