I Call "No Do-overs"

Tomorrow, Bush will officially announce that he will ignore the experts and the will of the American people and escalate the war in Iraq. Here's what we know so far.

Bush is going to put more troops in Baghdad, which he's done before. He's going to win the hearts and minds of the civilian population with reconstructions dollars, which he's also done before. And he's going to set benchmarks for the Iraqis, which — surprise — he's also done before. Each effort failed, and the situation has just gotten worse.

So what's new in his "New Way Forward?" A story in the Washington Post about Bush's meeting with Republican Senators yesterday gives us a possible answer:

Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) said the president was asked during her meeting what would be different about his new plan, and he replied that Maliki has had a "sea change" in attitude. But she said she came away unconvinced.

Good to know that we're going to be risking more lives and treasure because Maliki finally got religion. Oh, wait:

"I come away from here believing that the will is strong and the desire to meet the needs of the people is real and tangible," Bush said after meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and the new leader's Cabinet.

That was back in June, 2006, right before Bush poured thousands more troops into Baghdad. Color me "unconvinced" as well.