Byron York has an illuminating piece on President Bush’s decision to escalate the war in Iraq. York says that in a meeting with conservative columnists in November last year, Bush

described the period in early 2006, after the Iraqi elections but before the formation of the government, as the White House waited — and waited and waited — for the Iraqis to get their act together. “It was just an agonizing period,” Bush said. But the administration had no choice but to be patient with Iraqis who weren’t used to trying to create a multi-party government. “Part of this is a brand new experience for these guys,” the president explained. “We are working through a lot of serious issues, kind of psychological issues with these folks, as well as what it means to actually build consensus.”