Sidney Blumenthal, writing in Open Democracy, presents a sad and sobering narrative of the events leading up to Bush's embracing of a "surge," rather than seeking a diplomatic and political solution to the Iraq quagmire. Three facts stand out: 1. Bush is incapable of admitting mistakes, either in strategy or policy, and he is incapable altering his course in response to evidence of failure; 2. Brent Scowcraft, a prominent member of the commission, had pinned his hopes on Condi Rice to talk the president into following the commission's recommendations; and, 3. Cheney and the neocons at the American Enterprise Institute still have the president's ear, along with the major share of influence over Bush's foreign policy.

Blumenthal's description of Rice as an enabler for Bush is an astute characterization of a relationship that is looking more and more like a destructive psychological codependency

Bush is not an unintelligent man, but the incontrovertible evidence before our very eye compels the conclusion that he is a fool at best and a dangerous psychopath at worst. The damage he has done to the nation and the world cannot begun to be repaired until he leaves office.

Sidney Blumenthal: Washington's Political Cleansing