Demagogue

In his most recent Slate column, Fred Kaplan writes:

In the final paragraph of the New York Times' Jan. 2 story about the impending new Iraq strategy, President George W. Bush is quoted as telling members of the Baker-Hamilton commission that "victory" was still his goal.

"It's a word the American people understand," Bush reportedly said. "And if I start to change it, it will look like I'm beginning to change my policy."

Huh?

You may be confused about what Bush is saying, but Kaplan is not. He sees Bush's recent comment as a sign that the president — despite suggestions to the contrary — won't change his Iraq war policies in any substantive way. The entire column is here.