Bush Cowering

I'm not always negative. Chris Matthews can be infuriating, disingenuous and, to some guests, obsequious, but often insightful, and on Tuesday night he was at his best. As host, with Keith Olbermann, of MSNBC's coverage of President Bush's speech on Iraq, Matthews pounded on the relationship of Mr. Bush to General Petraeus. He noted "this President has tried to make him (Petraeus) the chief salesman for the policy" and "it's not the job of a military man to sell the policy. It's the job of the commander-in-chief." When guest Mike Huckabee made the usual, dishonest comment about politicians inserting their beliefs for those of the "guys getting shot at," Matthews shot back, noting the President is a "politican" and asserting "they should be calling the shots in Iraq, not asking the military to set the policy. They should be setting the policy and defending it. It's their policy." And Matthews, who before the speech reminded us that the Administration's best argument is "the critics were right- we're stuck," ended the evening by maintaining that the American people will find it "very frustrating" if they believe "the only reason we're in Iraq is we're afraid to leave."

We have a President lacking the courage to present his policy as his policy, instead cowering behind a General whose statement reportedly was reviewed by Mr. Bush's astute political strategist, Ed Gillespie. And we have a President who, having made it clear that he wants to leave this war to his successor, seems willing to sacrifice American lives for the sake of his legacy.