Kitchen hot: And Bush is ready to get out. Or at least let the U.N. come in with a bucket of water. Two possibilities: either things are so bad and our military is so far over its head that bringing in the clowns in the white helmets could actually be an improvement, or Bush is afraid the public sees him bungling the whole thing and will only forgive him if he admits now his mistake and seeks help from the wise and powerful Kofi Annan.

Bush loses all the mojo he built by defying the U.N. by crawling back now. The one thing most Americans like about his policy is the finger it gave to the French and now he'll look even worse by begging forgiveness. If he's trying to cover his ass politically before '04, he's going about it all wrong.

If I believed bringing in the international peacekeeping bureauracracy would benefit the Iraqi people, ease their suffering, and bring democracy to the region more quickly, I'd be all for it even if it ensured Bush's demise at the polls. But show me how this is going to happen first. Are more bodies in the region what's needed? More accents? More committees? Bush gambled that he and his troops could pull this off to the public's satisfaction before facing reelection and he ought to roll up his sleeves and make it happen "unilaterally." If the U.N. succeeds where he's failed, he's dead. If nobody succeeds, he's dead (since he brought it on). May as well go all in and hope the cards go your way. Sharing the blame for a failed mission won't sell at the polls.

Link via vodkapundit.