Last night the Resident was trotted out for a dog and pony show to prop up the mountain of lies threatening to crumble down on his soft little head. Soldiers are dying in the highest numbers since this ill conceived war began and Iraq is edging closer to civil warfare over the assumption of sovereignty due to take place June 30.

Given all of the noise about the September 11 commission and the Shrub's own strategy of basing his re-election on his status as a "wartime president," one would think he has some sort of reflective answer to the following question:

Toward the end of the news conference, Bush was asked what lessons he had taken away from events since the Sept. 11 attacks. He stopped, shook his head, looked quizzical and then came up empty, although it was the kind of question he must have been told to prepare for.

"I'm sure something will pop into my head here in the midst of this press conference, all the pressure of trying to come up with an answer," he said. "But it hasn't yet."

Holy Shit.