Bush's ego vs. leaving Iraq

For those of you who are wondering when the US will get its troops out of Iraq, there's some good news. According to the UK Guardian, the new rule is simple -- we'll get out as soon as we can do it without embarassing George W. Bush:

Ambitions for Iraq are being drastically scaled down in private. A Foreign Office source said the goal of the US administration to turn Iraq into a beacon of democracy in the Middle East had long ago been shelved. "We will settle for leaving behind an Iraqi democracy that is creaking along," the source said.

...Before the war, Washington saw Iraq not only as a likely beacon for democracy but also as potentially a stable source of oil and a well-positioned strategic base. Reflecting lowered expectations, the source said the priority for withdrawal was merely that "George Bush is not seen to have failed. He will have to have at least set Iraq on the road to democracy".

While it is encouraging to hear that the Powers That Be aren't completely clueless and are looking for a way to end this fiasco as soon as possible, it's still disappointing that staunching the loss of lives and the ever-mounting costs for the war (hey, anyone notice any budget-busting hurricanes lately?) are still taking a back seat to the all-important priority of not making George W. Bush look like an ass. Talk about the ultimate in vanity...