The Daily Bubble

Dan Froomkin writes:

Talking about Iraq, Bush referred yesterday to "a new chapter in our relationship." On Monday, he hailed the formation of a new Iraqi government as a "turning point."

But as Peter Baker and Bradley Graham noted in yesterday's Washington Post: "Bush has declared turning points and milestones in the war before. He called it 'an important milestone' when a temporary governing council was formed in July 2003 and 'a turning point' when sovereignty was turned over to the interim government in June 2004. Elections in January 2005, he said, were both 'a turning point in the history of Iraq' and 'a milestone in the advance of freedom.'

"He called it a 'milestone' in October when Iraqi voters approved a constitution and 'a major milestone' two months later when they elected a parliament -- a moment he also termed 'a turning point in the history of Iraq, the history of the Middle East and the history of freedom.' The selection of a prime minister last month was 'an important milestone toward our victory in Iraq' and, a week later, 'a turning point for the Iraqi citizens.' "

Iraq must be dizzy to the point of vomiting after so much turning. Personally, I'm looking for the point when Iraq stops turning, and it reaches the milestone where I could drive the five miles from the airport to the Green Zone without an armed escort.