Bush: A "new chapter" in Iraq

The administration's perverse insistence on confronting reality with propaganda went from frustrating to frightening quite a while ago, but a piece from the AP today further demonstrates the administration's solid committment to the approach. Perhaps switching the lingo from 'turning a corner' to 'a new chapter' is the biggest change we can hope for.

"The formation of a unity government in Iraq is a new day for the millions of Iraqis who want to live in peace," Bush said. "And the formation of the unity government in Iraq begins a new chapter in our relationship with Iraq."

Bush briefly spoke to reporters from the White House with his wife, Laura, at his side, to highlight the political development without mentioning the violence that still rages in Iraq.

The president did not speak of the spree of bombing, mortar rounds and a drive-by shooting that killed at least 18 Iraqis and wounded dozens - most of them hit by a suicide bomber who targeted a Baghdad restaurant during Sunday's lunch hour.

At least it isn't just being dutifully dictated here. But the reporter might also have pointed out that several rather important posts have yet to be filled in the 'unity government':

Politicians involved in negotiations over the new government said Wednesday that filling the top jobs at the Ministry of Interior, which oversees the police, and the Ministry of Defense, which oversees the army, had become the primary stumbling block to picking a government. Prime Minister-designate Nouri al-Maliki has until May 22 to name his Cabinet ministers.

The latest report I've heard is that al-Maliki and one of his colleagues will be serving as the de facto heads of these departments until permanently filled. And it's only taken five months, so what's the big deal?