Don't Believe the Hype

Bush to Back Probe of Iraq Data, Officials Say (washingtonpost.com)

I know I'm supposed to be impressed by this: Bush is getting ready to announce an enquiry into the WMD issue. But Bush's sudden readiness to countenance a few of his less favourite W words (in this case, WE WERE WRONG) is no doubt inspired by his posse's sheer, gob-smacked incredulity at the more experienced Tony Blair's magic escape trick, otherwise known as the Hutton Enquiry, on the other side of the Atlantic.

As the Post says, "Bush's shift in position represents an effort to get out in front of a potentially dangerous issue that threatens to cloud his reelection bid. An independent commission would not necessarily absolve Bush politically, congressional officials said, but it could quiet the current furor and delay calls for top-level resignations at the CIA and elsewhere until after the elections, diluting the potency of the issue for Democrats. "