Negotiate Chatter

Froomkin has a couple of interesting tidbits today. First this from Bush today:

"[S]lowly but surely, the truth will be known. Either we'll succeed, or we won't succeed. And the definition of success as I described is sectarian violence down. Success is not, no violence. There are parts of our own country that have got a certain level of violence to it. But success is a level of violence where the people feel comfortable about living their daily lives. And that's what we're trying to achieve."

This is a classic example of Bush ratcheting down expectations. A car bomb each day will qualify as being like downtown Philly or something. I'm not sure anyone will buy it, but Bush is flailing around like Helen Keller trying to find something that will work.

The other item was delicious quote:

"'Some kind of compromise has to be worked out between the administration and the Democrats,' said Sen. George V. Voinovich (Ohio), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee. 'That's how it's done. Everybody holds their nose and maybe a couple of times vomits, but you get it done.'

What's not included in this quote is "Sen. George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio). The key word is "everybody", and Voinovich has been around long enough to know better. Or he's still in total denial. It's Republicans like Voinovich who keep painting lipstick on that pig that is causing the Republican party to march toward the cliff. So far, the only people vomiting are people who have to deal with Bush and deal with the consequences of Bush. It won't be until the Republicans are puking in the aisles of the Senate that anything will happen. Just keep it up Voiny.