Daily Briefing: 'Tossed It In'
•In WP/ABC poll, 22% think the insurgency is weakening but 52% believe the war is good for long-term national security; more Americans "strongly disapprove" ofBushthan "strongly support." 61% in Gallup poll sayBush"doesn't have a clear plan" for Iraq. Tonight,Bushmust "reinvigorate public support for a war that has grown unpopular over time and convince Americans the administration has a policy that will lead to success over time." [ WP , USAT ]
•In prime-time speech,Bushwill spell out "clear path to victory."McClellan's preview: "The terrorists have inflicted great suffering. There have been tremendous sacrifices. But the cause for which we are in Iraq is an important one, and there is great progress being made on the ground." [ NYT ]
• Judith MillerandMatthew Cooperare closer to serving time as the Supreme Court declines to hear their appeal. [ WP ]
•No word of a Supreme Court vacancy, yet.McClellan: "I'm not going to go down that road." [ NYT , USAT ]
• BushandSchroederweary of Iran.Schroeder: "I couldn't agree more with [Bush's] message. We are going to continue being tough and firm on [Iran]." [ WP , NYT , NYT ]
•White House sides with CIA, not Pentagon, for covert intelligence operations. [ NYT ]
•Democrats assail Halliburton's "war profiteering"; audit by Pentagon estimates over $1b was misspent. [ NYT ]
•"Downing Street Memo" has galvanized critics of the war and added toBush's defensive posture. [ WSJ ]
•Senate expected to approve energy bill today. [ WSJ ]
•52% of Americans surveyed by Gallup "want to know more about what the federal government is doing in the war on terrorism." [ USAT ]
• Rumsfeld: "If the Revolutionary War had been covered the way we're covering this war and people had seen how difficult the conditions are and how badly things were run. . . people would have tossed it in." [ WP ]