The responses to the President’s speech from the “Bush lied, people died” crowd are just as we would expect - idiotic. None more than Slate’s Fred Kaplin who calls the speech “delusional”, even “Sheer fiction”! This even though exactly what President Bush presented is what Patraeus and Crocker reported on and which Patreus recommended. Thus Kaplan is the latest in the now long forming line of “Don’t question our patriotism” leftists who call General Patraeus and Crocker “liars”.

While one Fred talks about about being “delusional” he and the antiwar crowd have been so deslusional since the war began it tops incredibility. They were against the war since the beginning, floating all kinds of conspiracy theories and bulding on so many false premises that it would be impossible to unravel them in one post. I have always said - if it were possible - that Bill Clinton or even *cough* All Gore had called the shot to invade Iraq - as they had constantly referred to during their terms - we would be living in a different reality.

This isn’t about “the war” or “the troops” to the left as it is to George Bush himself. In that way I might agree with Capt Ed and other that giving the speech now without anything new or different than what we heard from General Patraeus and Amb. Crocker, may have been unnecessary. Nevertheless he told the American people exactly where we stand right now - factually and correctly.

Again, unless he ordered a complete and utter withdraw and spawled out on the floor weeping and knashing his teeth, the antiwar and “disgruntled” crowd will not be satisfied.