If At First You Don't Succeed Redefine

Recently, we've been facing the collision of the following truths:

A. GOP members say they can't keep supporting the war unless the surge shows signs of success by September.
B. Conditions in Iraq never improve.
C. Republicans will never stop supporting the war.

Well, Julian Barnes reports that "U.S. military leaders in Iraq are increasingly convinced that most of the broad political goals President Bush laid out early this year in his announcement of a troop buildup will not be met this summer and are seeking ways to redefine success." Success has, however, already been redefined plenty. If you'd predicted back in February 2003 that the US would be in the mess we're in by May 2007 you would, rightly, have been viewed as someone who was predicting failure.

Comments

Am I the only one who, upon seeing "Julian Barnes" in MY's link, wondered -- the author of Flaubert's Parrot (Talking it Over, Before She Met Me, etc.) wrote a column in the LA Times about Iraq?

Posted by Bragan | May 29, 2007 10:12 AM

We already know the inevitable conclusion of the collision, Matt. Bush and his laptops in the press/blogosphere/military will say we just need another Friedman Unit or x number more troops and we have to give the surge more time or implement Surge 2.0. As Atrios has been pointing out for a while, nothing is changing in our Iraq policy until January 20, 2009.

Posted by Ron | May 29, 2007 10:15 AM

I thought invocation of a Friedman Unit had the ability to start history over anew, like Peter Griffin calling repeated mulligans during his 14-putting a green.

Posted by norbizness | May 29, 2007 11:08 AM

Bragan: I also thought of the novelist. No doubt that's why the LATimes journalist MY cites goes by Julian E. Barnes.

Posted by kth | May 29, 2007 11:28 AM