All that listening the President's been doing probably has his head spinning. So, today, he's going from listener to decider. By now, the whole world knows that Bush wants to escalate the war -- even against the advice of military leaders. But, he's had a couple weeks to whip them in to submission. From Reuters:
President George W. Bush huddles with top advisers at his Texas ranch on Thursday to hash out options for a new Iraq strategy that he wants to unveil next month to an American public weary of the war.It's almost surreal how Bush is doing the exact opposite of what the best and wisest minds in the country and the American people want. He's being petulant -- it's his war and he can do what he wants to. Bush never thinks of what this war costs in terms of U.S. credibility, in terms of human life and in terms of the actual budget. This is really scary and dangerous.
Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and national security adviser Stephen Hadley will attend the session.
Bush will then make a statement to reporters at about 12:30 p.m. EST (1730 GMT), the White House said.
Among the options Bush has been considering is a short-term troop "surge" aimed at containing rampant violence.
We'll be hearing from Bush shortly. If you can stomach watching him, provide commentary please.
