[George Will's simple point is: own up to it. In some circles we would say, "Be a mensch."]

In a normal world, you'd be right. In the political world, it's suicide. Should Bush say such a thing, the Democrats will tear him to shreds, using the false conclusion that NOTHING justified the war in Iraq if there were no weapons found later. They will also go back to saying Bush deliberately lied about it.

I read Will's comments this way: If Bush doesn't say such a thing, the door stays wide open for conclusions of all kinds, false or not... especially if Iraq's post-liberation fate remains unimproved (and how are things in Afghanistan lately?)

Have any of his opponents cut Bush the slightest break on any of this so far?

That one has two answers: [1] He went ahead and did Iraq his way, break or not; [2] He's the President - he doesn't get a break.

When we were done bombing the crap out of Eastern Europe, it was found that the atrocities there, although real, were far less than the numbers that had been floated before the war. Who paid a penalty for this? Anyone?

Two groups: the victims of the atrocities, and the perpetrators (those that've been apprehended).*

If so many intelligence outfits and government leaders can be consistently fooled, what current intelligence might be flawed even as we speak? What about Iran and North Korea? What about China? What about almost ANYTHING that affects our national security?

Scary thought, isn't it... So's the idea that two successive but diametrically-opposed Administrations were misguided, if not intentionally fooled, by the same people, not counting top administrators. How soon do you think the "intelligence community" will feel the same scrutiny that NASA has? That's what's needed, at the very least, but there'll be humans on Mars sooner.

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[ * - i.m.o., NATO should have been penalized big-time (somehow) for not intervening far sooner... it's that tricky 'national sovereignty' thing, again.]