December 08, 2005

Back in August of 2004, President Bush had a moment of clarity when speaking about the war on terror.

"I don't think you can win it," Bush said in the interview on NBC's Today show. "But I think you can create conditions so that those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world."
[Bush: 'I don't think you can win' war on terror - St. Petersberg Times - 08-31-04]

Sounds familiar.

"There is going to be no peace treaty on the battleship Missouri in the war on terrorism, but we can break its back so that it is a horrible nuisance and not a paralyzing influence on our societies," Scowcroft told the U.S. Institute of Peace.
[Bush, Kerry Campaign in West Before Debate - AP - 10-11-04]

Not a single Republican charged President Bush, or his father's advisor, with defeatism, but when Howard Dean recently repeated the assertion, Republicans went fruit loops.

"In predicting that America will lose the war in Iraq, Howard Dean is the latest national Democrat leader to embrace retreat and defeat in the central front in the War on Terror. His outrageous prediction sends the wrong message to our troops, the enemy, and the Iraqi people just 10 days before historic elections. Democrats across the nation should stand up and reject the pessimism of their chairman and strategy of defeat by their Congressional leaders."
[Ken Mehlman, RNC Chairman - Press Release - 12-05-05]