Why does the Pentagon hate America?

A new Pentagon report on Iraq, labelled "grim" by the New York Times and "notably gloomy" by the Associated Press undermines the current Bush p.r. campaign and all of his upbeat messaging on Iraq:

The report comes amid a new effort by President Bush and his administration to shore up sagging public support for the Iraq war in advance of the fall elections, but may do little to help the president's case. Administration officials have tried to portray Iraq as the front line in the war on terrorism and have described the effort as part of a larger struggle against Islamic extremists. However, by putting hard numbers to the perception that Iraq is increasingly chaotic, the new Pentagon report stands to further undermine support for the administration's strategy in Iraq.

The violence in Iraq, according to the report, cannot be attributed to a unified or organized insurgency. Instead, violence is the result of a complex interplay between international terrorists, local insurgents, sectarian death squads, organized militias and criminal groups. The armed militias and other sectarian groups are contesting integrated neighborhoods in a bid to expand their area of influence, the report says.

"This is a pretty sober report," said Peter Rodman, the assistant secretary of Defense for international security. "The last quarter has been rough. The level of violence is up. And the sectarian quality of the violence is particularly acute and disturbing."

Of course, they issue this report on a Friday afternoon before a long holiday weekend. Because the report is so at odds with Bush's speechifying it is generating a lot of attention anyway. Harry Reid already weighed in on this new document:

The Pentagon’s new report today indicates that President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Secretary Rumsfeld’s speeches are increasingly disconnected from the facts on the ground in Iraq. Even the Pentagon acknowledges Iraq is tipping into civil war. Failed Republican policies have left America bogged down in Iraq, with our military stretched thin and less able to fight and win the war on terror.

And Rahm Emanuel had the perfect response which I heard on CNN:

Can someone at the Pentagon please make sure that Secretary Rumsfeld has this for his weekend reading? Instead of continuing his political barnstorm across the country, he should get to work at the Pentagon devising a real strategy for success in Iraq.