We Will Win, If It Takes Every Last Son And Daughter You Have

You have to feel sorry for the president. The guy can't get a piece of brush cut, or a bicycle ridden, or a nap taken in peace without someone harshing his mellow. Now the poor guy has to take time out of his busy vacation day to inform the ever dwindling number of folks who actually believe anything he says, that yes indeed we are going to win the war.

"So long as I'm the president, we will stay, we will fight, and we will win the war on terror," Bush told National Guard troops and their families. "Well, you will stay and you will fight, but let's not quibble."

Bush praised the unique role of Guard members, who serve both their states and their country. "If it wasn't for the fact that we can put you the line of fire people with more important things to do might have had to actually make some sacrifices."

Referring specifically to the war's growing death toll, a recent change in his remarks on Iraq prompted by the fact that Condi finally told him people die in wars and it's not like in the movies, Bush said 491 Guard and Reserve members had lost their lives. "And if you think that terrible tragedy will cause us to actually come up with a policy that gives this whole fiasco some meaning, well, be certain we are going to stay the course," he said.

Bush said the United States must stay on the offense even as troop casualties mount violence continues and the whole situation deteriorates into one big cesspool of failed policies and bad decisions. "Well, 'offensive' might be a bit strong," he said, "since we don't even control the road from Baghdad to the airport. But we're planning on getting out of the green zone any day now."

"The stakes in Iraq could not be higher," he added, painting a bleak scenario for his reputation as a manly man if U.S. troops retreat and insurgents prevail. "We will not allow the terrorists to establish new places of refuge in failed states from which they can recruit and train and plan new attacks on our citizens," he said. "They've got all the refuge they need in Iraq and Afghanistan right now. Not to mention Pakistan...and parts of Africa...and Saudi Arabia, but don't tell anyone I said that."

"Now we're trying to break their will with acts of violence," Bush said. "I mean they're trying to break our will with acts of violence," Bush said. "Their goal is to force us to retreat, but we're going to defend the green zone with every last volunteer soldier we've got because since we can't control the highway to the airport, we're pretty much stuck."

White House spokesman Trent Duffy said Bush met privately with 19 military families for nearly three hours, about an hour longer than scheduled. "As in all such meetings with relatives who have lost loved ones, we double the secret service guard," Duffy said. "We always handpick who can see the president, but you can't be too careful when you're killing off people's loved ones."