Bush held his last presser of the year today.

His solution for what ails us: "I encourage you all to go shopping more."

If we don't, how will we achieve that biblical ideal of "a shining mall on a hill"?

A few quick takes...

Though reporters have taken up his "surge" framing to describe throwing more young American bodies onto the funeral pyre that is the O.I.L. mission, he was tentative about saying that the new troops he wants will be added to Iraq — as opposed to, maybe, relieving some of our overtaxed soldiers or giving us five or ten guys who can guard us while the rest of our forces chow down on Iraqi chocolates.

The initial pundit reaction was that the generals don't want more troops, which is probably good news for St. McCain, so he can have a big, fake I-told-you-so, as if sending more Americans into that abattoir is a road tragically not taken. Of course, the "listening tour" is still young, and with Gates on the case, the generals are churning, and John may have his additional corpses, after all.

As usual, unintentional irony was on display:

"A failure in the middle east... will condemn a generation of young Americans to permanent threat to overseas"

They've got a leader who constantly sends messages to the world that Iran [substitute your country here] is out of step with the majority of thinkers, that Iran [ditto] is willing to become isolated to the detriment of the people.

That order was served with some very weak tea:

I'm willing to follow a path that leads to victory, and that's exactly why we're conducting the review we are.

A hundred-plus thousand of our kids went to Iraq, and all I got was this lousy plan for a plan?

Despite doubts expressed by Baker's ISG, he continues to insist that "victory in Iraq is achievable."

And despite, oh, reality, he continues to insist that "I don't believe most Americans want us just to get out now."

Yep, he's an unrepentent little fella:

No, I haven't questioned whether or not it was right to take Saddam Hussein out, nor have I have questioned the necessity for the American people, I mean I've questioned it, I've come to the conclusion it's the right decision. But I also know it's the right decision for America to stay engaged and to take the lead and to deal with these radicals and extremists. And to help support young democracies. It's the calling of our time, Cheryl.

When asked if he can't sleep at night, he waxed poetic about families of dead veterans, and pledging that their sons and daughters' won't have died in vain. Hey, I'm a Boomer — I eat up that 60s' nostalgia.

He made a big push for "nuke-u-lar" power. With his and Cheney's inmates-running-the-asylum agenda, that's the last fucking thing we need. Can you say Chernobyl? Probably not, if you can't say "nuclear."

Bush again proves that he's The Uniter (good to have something to fall back on when "The Decider" gig isn't going so well). He's working the "election meant the people want bipartisanship" canard pretty hard, yet he applies his favorite domestic political slur to Syria: "they've got to leave the Democrat Lebanon alone."

He will negotiate with Iran if they preemptively fold on the main issue they need to discuss:

"if they verifiably suspend that they've stopped enrichment, we will come to the table...."

Whatever that means, I hope they do it.

And, finally he said something I can agree with him on:

The most painful aspect of the presidency is the fact that I know my decisions have caused young men and women to lose their lives.