It’s magical, this Surge; no matter what happens, the evidence demonstrates that the Surge is working. It can’t fail! Any behavior taken by anyone in Iraq is a positive by-product of the Surge. I mean, sure, the Surge hasn’t dented American casualty rates or Iraqi casualty rates for the country as a whole, but that also is evidence that it’s working; the enemy is clearly desperate, which is why he’s attacking us. ~Robert Farley

Via Yglesias

In fairness to the pathological Bush-supporters, the only way to maintain support for Mr. Bush’s War and the latest security plan (a.k.a., “surge”) has to be to engage in such creative “adaptation” to changing circumstances.  If these folks had ever been disturbed by evidence from the lowly realm of the senses (a.k.a., “reality”), they would have dropped Mr. Bush and his war years ago (as have so many attuned to the inner workings of the “reality-based community”). 

The “surge” must be working at all times, because otherwise it might be time to reconsider support for the war, which might mean that support for the war was misguided in the first place, and it would also mean that Mr. Bush, the great leader (as roughly 75% of Republicans still regard him), had erred catastrophically and then persisted in his error.  The true believers know that this latter idea is impossible, because they know that Mr. Bush is good and wise and decent, etc.  They know this because they have to believe it, since otherwise that would mean that they have been backing an impressive liar and criminal buffoon.  Never underestimate the power of denial.

It’s also worth remembering that the “increasing number of attacks and casualties is proof that the enemy feels deeply threatened by the establishment of democracy” spin has been tried before, back in the days of Cheney’s “last throes” remarks in ’05.  You almost have to admire the suppleness of war propaganda.  We have not only always been at war with Eastasia (or Westasia, in our case), but we have always been winning, though occasionally suffering massive setbacks that some traitors might call “defeat,” which is really just another name for victory if viewed from the proper party perspective.