When confronted by bothersome questions from the public via the occasional press that is serving the public interest about what his plans were/have been/are in Iraq, The Preznit had a tried a true line that he listened to “the generals” for military advice. It’s a fantastic response because it gives both an iota of credibility to his words that he has consulted actual military officials and plausible deniability to the imbecilic decisions “The Decider” ends up making. Never mind that each and every general that had the nuts to actually tell the truth to congress (Shinseki, for example) was shuffled off the reservation and smeared with great zeal by the right-wing media – Bush could maintain with great umbrage that he was listening to his military commanders. With nothing more than a pompous sneer and his “swagger” he could dismiss any claims of using this war for political gains.

With John McCain’s signature on the dotted line in a deal to exchange his soul for a clear shot at the White House in 2008 as the Bush heir apparent, all that remains is for the once integrity-laden senator to make a few moves that will demonstrate that he is in lockstep with Bushthink while also giving an impression that he is his own person. A few months ago, Cardinal McCain thought it somehow prescient to send more troops to Iraq. Anybody who is anybody in a military uniform resoundingly denounced the suggestion as, for lack of a better description, “too little – too late”. McCain didn’t care because it served his double purposes quite nicely. Bush hadn’t made a peep about sending more troops so it makes people think McCain is some kind of visionary. Alternatively, it gives the unequivocal appearance that McCain is 100% behind The Preznit and is therefore the chosen one to succeed George II as King John I.

But an old problem surfaced. As usual, The Preznit had forgotten about the other lies he had told as news broke that “the generals” were vehemently and quite vocally against the idea of sending more troops to Iraq.

At regular interagency meetings and in briefing President Bush last week, the Pentagon has warned that any short-term mission may only set up the United States for bigger problems when it ends. The service chiefs have warned that a short-term mission could give an enormous edge to virtually all the armed factions in Iraq — including al-Qaeda’s foreign fighters, Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias — without giving an enduring boost to the U.S military mission or to the Iraqi army, the officials said.

The Pentagon has cautioned that a modest surge could lead to more attacks by al-Qaeda, provide more targets for Sunni insurgents and fuel the jihadist appeal for more foreign fighters to flock to Iraq to attack U.S. troops, the officials said.

Okay, enough of my being coy.

Sending more troops to Iraq is complete lunacy. It’s a pure political move that even conserve-columnist David Brooks picked up quite clearly. So it boils down to something very, very simple – with Bush’s failure, it propels McCain to be the GOP standard-bearer to lead the sheep to the voting booths in 2008. When Prince John wins, he can use his time in the White House to propel the image of King George II as somehow befitting the $1 bill. (And by the end of his reign, surely they’ll make him the fifth face on Mount Rushmore.)

What amazes me is how disillusioned not only these Party leaders are, but how much they’ve disillusioned their most staunch followers. As nuts as it may sound, there are some people who, upon reading my words, will completely miss anything at all wrong with this scenario and will dismiss out of hand any suggestion that what Bush and McCain do is politically motivated – I dare say they wouldn’t know what the term politically motivated means.

They will swallow the “temporary surge in troops levels” line wholly without bothering to look behind their fearless leaders to see the actual truth. If it were up to people like those who reside within the safe, wood stained walls of the American Enterprise Institute, any and all who dare question their Divine Wisdom shall be attainted of their lands and possessions and forced onto the front lines – like they never have been and their children never will be.

Here’s the bottom line, folks: If you or anyone you know is still believing the class-AAA bullshit being served by the White House, it’s your duty to remind them how completely fucked the United States is at the moment because of them and the millions who at one point or another thought like them.