President In Iraq

Connecting the bottom-up organization with the top-down organization is the goal going forward in Iraq. (Allah says that's impossible. Video of Bush, here.) That means that the local militias need to be connected to the Iraqi security forces. Once these threads are made, the fabric of Iraqi society strengthens significantly.

It is fashionable to be pessimistic. I think I might the only one in my family who still has hope. But I do have hope for these people. There is always a chance for a new kind of peace.

Gateway Pundit has the round-up. He also writes about the British Press spinning of the Brits leaving Basra.

As an aside:
The press corps are a big bunch of pansy-asses. I read the Pool Report. Give me a break. Here's some of the snark:

POTUS leaned slightly forward, both hands on a makeshift table, as the Marine with a pointer in hand, gave an overview. About 20 troops in fatigues framed POTUS during the briefing, making for better pictures, no doubt.

Are they capable of giving the facts without editorializing? That was a rhetorical question. And now from the Man Up Department:

From there, we left and were back to the file –or what passes for it. Internet connections are slow, and private accounts are tough to access. POTUS is now off to his meeting with Petraeus and Crocker, and co. Next is Maliki, after which they are to make a joint statement. Then it is a session with tribal leaders, remarks to the troops and back to the plane.

I wonder if the tone would have been better if they had access to caviar and T-1 lines.

Oh, and in Iraq right now, it's hot. Really, really hot. And the press doesn't like that either.