Thanks for posting the links, Tom. I spaced out and completely forgot to watch the speech, much to my chagrin.

I guess in context, the passively tepid mea culpa "Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me" is a remarkable concession. A little humility would help a lot right now; better late than never.

No surprises--it was the plan we've been expecting for a week. The most unexpected part, I think, was the emphasis on Syria and Iran, and the tough talk toward them. I couldn't help but think of Cambodia and Laos, and the justifications given for Nixon's expansion of the Vietnam War into those countries. Geez, I hope the similarities stop at a passing historical resonance; if we're stretched thin in Iraq, I shudder to think what would happen if Bush expands the war on two fronts out of Iraq. OTOH, could it be that he's prolonging our stay in Iraq to keep US troops stationed in that exact spot? More historical resonances: The European "tripwire" strategy. Kinda sets my teeth on edge.

I noted the plan to share oil revenues with Iraqi people. Didn't you suggest that one a while back?

Overall? Better to hope it works, because now Iraq is vital to American interests, as it never would have been had Bush not made the foolish decision to invade. However, I reject the reflexive fearmongering in the "they'll follow us home if we leave" notion. The analogy with a safe haven in Afghanistan, when you get right down to it, only describes a return to the pre-9/11 status quo, except that now we have the thorough understanding of the haven and the enemy that we lacked back then. We won't be blindsided a second time, and that makes a huge difference.

See, that wasn't so bad. Your hat's mostly intact.