The tipping point has arrived for Bush and our security

You can feel it.  You can feel the tide turning against the Administration.  You can feel it in the nuance of press stories, in the willingness of leaders to challenge him, in the chatter around town. 

A big new idea is settling in with the American people and political elites.  It is simply that when it comes to foreign policy Bush blew it.  He took a big swing and failed. 

It is been a long time coming.  Much of the story has been known, but it has not hit critical mass.  We’ve known that he was warned about Al Qeada striking in the US and did nothing; known that they had Bin Laden at Tora Bora and failed to give the guys on the ground more troops, and that he escaped; known that they all lied in the run up the war; known that they failed to plan for the occupation; known that the occupation itself has been ripe with cronyism, corruption and silliness; known that they blamed and prosecuted a “few rotten apples” for the torturing of Iraqis when it was officially sanctioned government policy; known that their “democratization” strategy gave some of the most radical elements in the Middle East, Hezbollah and Hamas, electoral legitimacy without forcing them to disband their militias; known that the standing up of the Iraqi police and Army has been a farce; known that despite their statements otherwise, the Administration has seldom listened to the generals in the field; known that the “insurgency” was much more than a few rogue elements causing trouble; known that our failure to win the peace was turning Iraq into a version of Soviet Afghanistan, fueling the jihadists around the world. 

All of this been known.  But in recent weeks, these things we’ve known have come together, stuck together, and are forming a new story line.  It is no longer they’ve tried hard, acted tough and are gutting it out for America.  It is that they’ve blown it.  Big time.  Perhaps overseeing the greatest foreign policy disaster in American history. 

It is hard to know the exact moment when it all tipped.  Suskind’s new and remarkable book, The One Percent Doctrine, has been part of it.  The insanity around the ABC movie, The Path to 9/11 has been part of it.  Clinton’s appearance on Fox has been part of it.  The NIE release has been part of it.  The recent spate of stories about the utter incompetence and corruption of our occupation have been part of it.  And now Woodward’s new book, out next week, loaded with new and extraordinary stories will accelerate it all.  

However we got to this point I think the President’s credibility on security matters has been shattered, and he can’t get it back.  They took a big swing, and they blew it big time.  

Now what do we do? Clearly a new team, a new approach is needed.  Isn’t that what elections are about?