At least he's a little polite about it

So, the latest from the Strategic Master, AP:

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — President Bush said critics of his Iraq policies are advocating a "cut and run" strategy that would draw terrorists to American soil.
"Leaving before we complete our mission would create a terrorist state in the heart of the Middle East, a country with huge oil reserves that the terrorist network would be willing to use to extract economic pain from those of us who believe in freedom," Bush said Wednesday.

"If we leave before the mission is complete, if we withdraw, the enemy will follow us home," he said.

Even though he spoke at a political event, Bush kept the criticism of his opponents gentle, and left partisan politics out of it. His critics are mostly Democrats who contend he has not outlined a plan for success in Iraq. They are increasingly supportive of a timetable for bringing troops home.

"There are some good people in our country who believe we should cut and run," the president said at a fundraiser for former Pittsburgh Steelers star Lynn Swann, who is carrying GOP hopes for an upset over Pennsylvania's Democratic governor, Ed Rendell. "They're not bad people when they say that. They're decent people. I just happen to believe they're wrong."

What exactly is the mission?

WhiteHouse.gov (same event):

And the mission is to have a country, a free country that can sustain itself, and govern itself, and defend itself, and serve as an ally in the war on terror in the heart of the Middle East. That's the mission.

That has been the mission all along. We are not close to a stable, free, sutainable, defensible Iraq that is also an ally in the war on terror.

CENTCOM reports some gains, as we have valiant and dedicated military personnel:

The Iraqi and Coalition forces searched about 6,000 houses and buildings in the Ameriya neighborhood, said Jaleel. The local citizens requested the market area be secured first.

“We re-opened shops that had been closed and a neighborhood gas station,” he said.

The 2nd Brigade Combat Team commander, Col. Robert Scurlock Jr., re-iterated Jaleel’s point, noting that people are returning to the streets.

“More than 50 percent of the shops have re-opened,” Jaleel said.

Jaleel and Scurlock see the market as a way to repair the neighborhood that was torn apart by violence.

But the situation continues to degrade, the New York Times:

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 — The number of roadside bombs planted in Iraq rose in July to the highest monthly total of the war, offering more evidence that the anti-American insurgency has continued to strengthen despite the killing of the terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Along with a sharp increase in sectarian attacks, the number of daily strikes against American and Iraqi security forces has doubled since January. The deadliest means of attack, roadside bombs, made up much of that increase. In July, of 2,625 explosive devices, 1,666 exploded and 959 were discovered before they went off. In January, 1,454 bombs exploded or were found.

The metrics of IEDs and bodycounts (civilian) continue to mount. These trends have not even been slowed, let alone reversed. Before "the mission" can be completed, these trends need to be undone.

If "the mission" is so vital and the present leadership cannot reverse metrics like these, then new leadership is necessary.

George W. Bush does not achieve his goals. He stumbles along and hopes that the latest mantra will work in the polls.