Is Bush's ship finally sinking?

King George must want to strangle Bob Woodward. Even though attentive millions around the world have long known the White House was a lie machine on everything Iraq, we've had that U.S. "base" that continued to believe the constant outpouring of Rovian garbage. Woodward's just-published "State of Denial" might cut those base numbers way down, at least among people who know how to read and don't just feed at the Fox trough. There is no denying it any more: Plan Bush has been going downhill for a very long time (now with four attacks by the insurgents every hour), and it is going to be worse next year if we don't get out of there. But Bush knows no turning back; he's said he won't change his mind even if it turns out that his only supporters are Laura and Barney The Dog.

In the meantime, the latest polls are most interesting. They tell us that 61% of Iraqis back the insurgents. The latest State Department poll (yes, the STATE Department!) tells us that a majority in all areas but that of the Kurds -- we might as well say Kurdistan, because those folks already consider themselves a separate country -- want the U.S. to leave immediately.

Head for the lifeboat, George. Your ship is Swiss cheese. Probably even Barney understands that now.