The Absurd Report

President Bush is in Jordan today for meetings with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and the most important message the two leaders could send would be to reaffirm their common commitment to their antiterror fight.

That task has clearly been complicated by recent events–including more blood in Baghdad and the Republican wipeout in Congress caused in part by frustration with the Iraq war. There’s also this week’s spectacle of the wannabe Walter Cronkites at outlets like NBC News and the Los Angeles Times patting themselves on the back for declaring that the Iraq conflict is a “civil war.” Mr. Cronkite is often credited with helping turn public opinion against the war in Vietnam, and today’s media point seems to be to declare the war unwinnable, as if this were actually desirable.

To his credit, Mr. Bush refused to give ground to such defeatist rhetoric during meetings with NATO leaders yesterday. No doubt many critics will continue to snicker at his alleged lack of realism, but public confidence is crucial to avoiding disaster in Iraq. We’re clearly at a hinge point in Iraq, with Mr. Bush himself saying there’s a need for “fresh eyes” and James Baker’s Iraq Study Group poised to report next month. Among the policy options being considered are redoubled military efforts against the insurgents and diplomatic outreach to Syria and Iran. But even supporters of reaching out to those regimes must realize that U.S. negotiating leverage will be zero if they sense the U.S. is ready to cut and run.

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