Giving up on the "noble cause"

Oh isn't THIS lovely? The Bush administration is now saying that it's "lowering expectations" regarding what can be accomplished in Iraq. Translation: we're losing. The Washinton Post has the story that is entitled "U.S. Lowers Sights On What Can Be Achieved in Iraq" and is subtitled,"Administration Is Shedding 'Unreality' That Dominated Invasion, Official Says":

The Bush administration is significantly lowering expectations of what can be achieved in Iraq, recognizing that the United States will have to settle for far less progress than originally envisioned during the transition due to end in four months, according to U.S. officials in Washington and Baghdad.

The United States no longer expects to see a model new democracy, a self-supporting oil industry or a society in which the majority of people are free from serious security or economic challenges, U.S. officials say.

"What we expected to achieve was never realistic given the timetable or what unfolded on the ground," said a senior official involved in policy since the 2003 invasion. "We are in a process of absorbing the factors of the situation we're in and shedding the unreality that dominated at the beginning."

Right, Mr. Bush. Now walk down your driveway in Crawford and tell Cindy Sheehan what her son died for.

I'm so interested that the "senior official" admits that the original policy was dominated by "unreality". Those of us on the left have been saying that from the get go.