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The Washington Post‘s front-page account of Bush’s public-opinion specialists is quite fascinating—and depressing. Why couldn’t the president just level with the public in his speech the other night and explain what, exactly, our goals in Iraq are and how he plans to achieve them? Well, because expert upon expert has told him that that’s just not very important for building popular support during wartime. Apparently it’s far more important, poll-wise, to be “resolute” and not show any signs of pessimism than it is to be honest and practical. Sadly, it really does seem we get the leaders we deserve.
