Bush: We're winning. Gates: No, we're not

Ya know, after the last three press secretaries, the next prez could set himself/herself up to be LOVED by the WH press corps through the simple expediency of posting a press secretary who would speak with maximal honesty and openness.

like that'll happen....

Someone quite aptly applied the term sycophant to the press sec'ty.
I believe they are synonymous.

Someone quite aptly applied the term sycophant to the press sec'ty.
I believe they are synonymous.

Just shows how cynical the last six years have made you guys, all of which supports my argument (so little ever does not support my arguments). Clinton got a lot of mileage with the press because he would call reporters up at all hours and talk wonk with them, and do that in an open and (relatively) spin-free way. The last three fellows under this administration have been exceptionally opague and dishonest and a change in that would, trust me or I'll hurt you, work magic.

Here's a great quote from Jeff Sessions in the Gates hearing...

that was me and I don't mind claiming it. My relatively witless remarks are so often buried under the deathless verbiage of such august posters as Blatham that when I receive an attaboy I feel myself practically preening.

Well, it appears that now even GWB is on board with the "we're not winning, but we're also not losing" position:

President Bush acknowledged for the first time yesterday that the United States is not winning the war in Iraq and said he plans to expand the overall size of the "stressed" U.S. armed forces to meet the challenges of a long-term global struggle against terrorists. As he searches for a new strategy for Iraq, Bush has now adopted the formula advanced by his top military adviser to describe the situation. "We're not winning, we're not losing," Bush said in an interview with The Washington Post. The assessment was a striking reversal for a president who, days before the November elections, declared, "Absolutely, we're winning."

Washington Post

According to today's newspaper, it seems Bush finally admitted we are losing in Iraq. How that translates into a change is anybody's guess. According to Bush, he's waiting for Gates to return from Iraq to listen to his "suggestions."