‘George W. Bush knows how to get Generals to concur with his disastrous plans: he fires all that disagree and promotes the numbskulls who agree. When Bush wanted to invade Iraq, General Shinseki warned that it would require a few hundred thousand troops ... not to win the war, but rather to secure the peace. Bush and his people -- Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz chief among them -- disagreed. They fired Shinseki and, of course, we all know now that the General knew exactly what he was talking about and that the President and his people were fools.

After learning a hard lesson like that, one might think the President would have taken his own advice and followed that old saying in Tennessee; the one he knew to be "in Texas, probably in Tennessee....fool me once, shame on, shame on you. Fool me - you can't get fooled again."

As it turns out George W. Bush has learned nothing and dirty double dawg shame on him, because it appears "The Decider" has once again, fooled himself. General John Abizaid, commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, made it crystal clear that he could not support the President's Iraq "Surge" Plan. Abizaid couldn't support a 'surge' in troop strength, because he figured it would only serve to create more targets for the insurgents to shoot. General Abizaid's perspective was that at this stage, the Iraqis needed to start taking responsibility for their country and that the solution to their problems could only be found through the political process. Besides, the U.S. military doesn't have any troops with which to 'surge'.

George W. Bush disagreed with his General. No surprise then, that Abizaid is going the way of Shinseki, i.e., out the door. Abizaid announced his "retirement" Thursday and on Friday, the Los Angeles Times gave Bush the headline he wanted: "U.S. commanders in Iraq recommend a 'surge'"’

"'The Decider' Fooling Himself Again, Fires Disagreeing Generals"

elsewhere …..

‘Immediately after the beating his party took in November, President George W. Bush indicated he had received a message that voters wanted change and he would serve some up fast: He ousted his defense secretary, announced a full-scale review of his war plan and contritely agreed with critics that progress in Iraq was not happening "well enough, fast enough."

But in the past two weeks critics and even some allies say they have seen a reversal.

He has shrugged off suggestions by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group that he enlist the help of Iran and Syria in the effort to stabilize Iraq. He has countered suggestions that he begin thinking of bringing troops home with public deliberations over whether to send more. And he has adjusted his view of the message voters sent in November away from Iraq, saying on Wednesday: "I thought the election said they want to see more bipartisan cooperation."

In many ways, it is the president being the president he has always been - while he still can.’

With Congress Away, Bush Reasserts Independence