Burns and Hagel on the surge

By Heraclitus

Am I the only one who thinks that "surge" sounds like a new kind of Gatorade, and who suspects that this is intentional, a way to make Bush's latest folly sound harmless and sporty (and, of course, macho -- the sexual overtones are obvious enough). Anyway, in case you missed it, here's an excellent segment from Charlie Rose dealing with Bush's speech. John Burns, the senior NYTimes correspondent in Iraq, discusses the details of Iraqi politics and who is likely to challenge Maliki for power (with the US's support). Chuck Hagel delivers what is probably the most devastating criticism of Bush's Iraq policy I've yet heard. I won't even try to outline all the points he makes. I didn't bother watching the third guest, a Bush flak, but the first two are very interesting and worth your time.