I meant to get this up earlier. Are we to believe that the American people need to be educated suddenly about the Iraq conflict? For months, Bush has been screeching that Iraq is the central front of the war on terror. Have we suddenly missed that? What can he possibly educate us about? He's supposed to explain why he wants to implement the McCain Doctrine against the wishes of the American people. It's insulting and Norah should know better. Froomkin tells us it's a change in tactics only and I agree.

C&Ler "Get Real" says it all in an email:

Tonight the president will go on the air and talk directly to the American people about his way forward in Iraq. According to one report, his tone will be EDUCATIONAL, and then he and his minions will take to the road to further EDUCATE Americans about the situation and why his new plan, same as the old plan, will work.

He will educate us like he did on Weapons of Mass Destruction, he will educate us like he did on the imminent threat that Saddam poses, the connection between Al Qaeda and Iraq, the minimal costs of the war, remember 1-point 7 billion? Oh, and now I remember the war will only last "days, weeks, I doubt months", thank you for the lesson Mr. Rumsfeld.

The classes and lessons go on and on:
Mission accomplished! Again yesterday, we were taught by Tony Snow that Mr. Bush said just the opposite, even though we have video tape, audio tape, and the white house transcription ... all apparently wrong in the new teachings.

Turning point after turning point: Capturing Saddam, killing his sons, capturing or killing 75-percent of Al Qaeda, as though our presence there wasn't the best recruiting tool Al Qaeda ever had. Getting Osama, dead or alive, and "I just don't think about him that much"?

ELECTIONS, which, Oh-by-the-way, they were going to turn things around, but by some estimations they actually hurt, by demarking the sectarian lines clearly when there were no real government agencies to implement any real solutions to the political problems. So much for government 101.

The teachings of our biggest cheerleader of the War, who told us that the "dead enders" were in their last throes many months ago ... wait, what was the U.S. casualty count then?

We were treated to the lesson that the Iraqi's were trained in great numbers and at an exceptional rate, until they weren't. Oh the look on the general's face when he was forced to admit, on the record, in testimony to Congress, that the number of battle ready Iraqi battalions had dropped from 3 to 1 over the period of a few months.

Educated on how to remove those who oppose a failed policy, who have actual answers to serious problems. Garner, Shinseki, Powell, Eaton, and now Casey, all educated in the school of partisan politics.

We will clear, hold, and build, that'll fix it .. until it doesn't, because we don't have enough troops.
Clear build and hold: Baghdad, Falluja, Ramadi, Tikrit, Anbar, Mosul, and now Baghdad again ... all turning points ... all places that our brave men and women saw their last day on this earth for a lie.

When it comes to an educating us, please Mr. President, stick with reading My Pet Goat to third graders and leave the teaching to those grounded in reality.