Well, it's beginning to look a lot like this "surge" that mysteriously became part of BCW is going kill off a few more tens of thousands, as Bush continues his quest to evade a final accounting for the Iraq Clusterfuck, the botched epic of his misrule. (Although, give the guy credit, the central front on his war on Democrats in 2002, 2004, 2006.) I'd say Bush's "Ahab-like" quest, but Ahab, crazed as he was, actually found what he was looking for, unlike Our George.

Has anybody seen anything deflate more rapidly than Jim Baker's Iraq Studly Group? So much for the adult intervention by the Bush family, and 41's retainers. Bush outsourced the Iraq problem to the neo-cons again. Like that worked so well last time.

And it's not just the report that shivelled: It's the reputation for power of the entire network of "wise men" who wrote it; not just the Republicans: The Democrats, too.

So much for Lee Hamilton (Democrat).

So much for William Perry (Democrat).

And so much for the entire network of center-right operatives that's been running our foreign policy since the day that Jeanne Kirkpatrick crossed the aisle to supply the rhetoric that enabled Ronald Reagans's dirty war in Latin America.

They have no power anymore. Bush blew them off, like they were nothing. Maybe that's why 41 was crying.

Of course, the downside is that our foreign policy is now fully revealed as being run by a combination of crazed neo-con chickenhawks and jerk-off artists, and deep-dyed Christianist loons who really believe in the Rapture. Of course, we already knew that. But know we really know it.

What I can't understand is this: Why the heck didn't 41 play dirty? We know he can. So why didn't Baker have Bush's TANG records in hand, or another drunk-driving conviction, or the abortion records, or whatever else they've managed to hide for the guy, and explain to Our George the consequences of not going along? Why didn't 41 get some leverage? Maybe that's why 41 was crying.