Yellow Dog

We're getting a sense of how low Bush's approval ratings can go (hovering around the low 40's) and even a sign that some Republicans are using their critical thinking skills and questioning Bush's (mis)handling of Iraq (only 38% of Americans now approve of the handling of the war), so it's no surprise that the Bush administration would start back-pedalling and lowering their expectations in Iraq:

"The Bush administration is significantly lowering expectations of what can be achieved in Iraq, recognizing that the United States will have to settle for far less progress than originally envisioned during the transition due to end in four months, according to U.S. officials in Washington and Baghdad.

The United States no longer expects to see a model new democracy, a self-supporting oil industry or a society in which the majority of people are free from serious security or economic challenges, U.S. officials say.

'What we expected to achieve was never realistic given the timetable or what unfolded on the ground,' said a senior official involved in policy since the 2003 invasion. 'We are in a process of absorbing the factors of the situation we're in and shedding the unreality that dominated at the beginning.'"

Someone might tell Bush about this plan to "shed the unreality," since he said on Thursday that he "has no plan" or timetable for withdrawal of troops.

In further news that "sheds the unreality" of Bush's expectations in Iraq, six more US troops were killed in Iraq today.

U.S. Lowers Sights On What Can Be Achieved in Iraq