“What’s the Democrat’s plan for Iraq?”

When asked this question today, Democratic Congressman Charlie Rangel said:

“I never understand that question, you have a President that’s in deep shit. He got us into the war, and all the reasons he gave have been proven invalid, and the whole electorate was so pissed off that they got rid of anyone they could have, and then they ask, ‘What is the Democrats’ solution?’”
[H/T: Talking Points Memo]

Rangel is right. The President is in it deep. Even he knows it. Just two weeks ago, the President said this about the Iraq war: “This business about a graceful exit just simply has no realism to it at all.” Ugh. See? Even the President knows it’s a quagmire.

And so he’s desperate to point fingers. Today he referred to the war as “a war that we now find ourselves in.” As if it was thrust upon him, and not something he chose to thrust on the world.

Tom Delay is now one of several prominent conservatives putting forth twisted arguments that the reason the war is going poorly is because the American people lack resolve. Why do they lack resolve? Democrats are to blame, of course. He said recently: “It’s the fault of the liberals and the media and the Democrats, that from the very beginning have tried to undermine the will of the American people to fight this.”

But any lack of “resolve” stems from the fact that the Bush Administration lied about the war.

Three years ago, Administration official Andrew Natsios insisted (to an incredulous Ted Koppel) that the total cost of the Iraq war would be limited to $1.7 billion. He said that amounts any over $1.7 billion would be paid with international contributions and from Iraq’s oil wealth. “We have no plans for any further-on funding for this,” he said.

Total actual cost? $348 Billion dollars. Much more since you started reading this sentence. More still. Click HERE to see a running count of the cost to taxpayers.

Three years ago, while speaking to US troops stationed in Italy, Donald Rumsfeld said this about the Iraq war: “It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months.”

And a mere three months after Rumsfeld’s rosy predictions about a short war, President Bush staged a dramatic landing on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, stood below a huge “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED” banner, and told us that the war was over. Watch these 38 seconds to remind yourself just how delusional he was:

(Sorry — the sound is out of synch with the video.) To see the full speech, click here to view the speech at the white house’s official website.