You'll Thank Me For This In 100 Years

One thing you have to say for the president, he seems to have developed a sense of history. Maybe it's that whole legacy thing. Here's the guy looking back over his presidency and wondering what the lasting image of his administration will be, what the verdict of history will be, and will anyone ever name their kid George again.

So we shouldn't be surprised that he's going all metaphorical on us when he heads out to give a speech to a group of soldiers, who are about the only people left in the country that will listen to him. Well, after they've been ordered and stuff.

Mr. Bush told the audience of Air National Guard members and their families at the base here, “Our first Independence Day celebration took place in a midst of a war — a bloody and difficult struggle that pitted brother against brother, and would not end for five bloody years until Lincoln freed the slaves as I have freed Scooter Libby."

Addressing National Guard members with the 167th Airlift Wing who were gathered in a cavernous airplane hangar and ordered to keep their eyes open and act like they were listening, he said, “Like those early patriots, you’re fighting a new and unprecedented war. Well, I supposed if this war is new and unprecedented that means it can't be much like the one the patriots fought, especially that playoff game against the Jaguars. Now that was a war. Did you see that game? I never thought Brady was that good of a scrambler...um...I think I've lost my point."

Mr. Bush said if the United States were to leave Iraq now al-Qaeda would be able to move their safe haven from Pakistan to Iraq, which would allow them to do two things: to further spread their ideology and to plan and plot attacks against the United States. "Now people say they can do that from Pakistan, but I say there's no cable in Pakistan and that's gotta slow them down."

Several Democrats have made the case that the president’s strategy is failing and that a full or partial withdrawal would press the Iraqis to settle their problems on their own. "Well, one of their biggest problems is the fact that we blew up their country and took it over," said one democratic senator who asked not to be named. "So us getting out would probably help with the whole chaos thing."

Mr. Bush spent 20 minutes in the hangar, which dwarfed the crowd, because most of the unit had volunteered for latrine duty rather than come to hear the president. Victory, he said, “will require more patience, more courage, and more sacrifice. Well, for you guys that is. In 18 months I'm off to Paraguay where the law can't touch me. Can't pardon myself you know.”