Today the President somehow tricked the news networks into covering a scripted "teleconference" between himself and some troops in Iraq:



Wherein he uttered these words:

I wish I could be there to see you face to face and thank you personally. Probably a little early for me to go to Tikrit. Perhaps one of these days the situation will be such that I'll be able to get back to Iraq.

Oh, dear. So not only is he admitting that (1) Iraq is so unstable that he can't go there, but (2) Iraq is even more unstable than it was in November 2003, when he actually did go there.

Of course, back in June, Tom Delay observed:

"You know, if Houston, Texas, was held to the same standard as Iraq is held to, nobody'd go to Houston, because all this reporting coming out of the local press in Houston is violence, murders, robberies, deaths on the highways," DeLay said.

So I guess Houston is off limits for our Steely-Eyed War President as well.

Unfortunately for the troops, Bush refrained from sharing any useful tips on avoiding service requirements for months at a time with no repercussions.