When asked if he should have expanded the military back in 2003, to give the current commanders more manpower, Bush used words that were uncharacteristically jargon-ridden: “The notion of warfare has changed, and therefore, we’re modulizing the army so that it becomes more operational and easier to move.” That sounds more like a transformation briefing paper than the president.

In other words, when Bush is strategizing goals, he is assertiveness on stilts. When he is contemplating means, he defers to authority. ~David Brooks, The New York Times

Apparently the only thing that can humble Mr. Bush and cause him to defer to anyone is when Rumsfeld and the boys say that they need a lighter, faster war machine.  That their recommendations have put him in his current pickle seems to be something he does not consider–because Rumsfeld has not told him to think this.  It is remarkable how the man can play both prophet of the ideological struggle–which will last for generations and will presumably span decades–and yet he is almost diffident with respect to what is happening right in front of him.  “The future authorizes every kind of humbug.” -Camus