As Iraq Collapses, Bush Moves On to 80-Day World Circumnavigation Plan

We were this close to winning the war in Iraq! We had a plan and everything!

The original plan, championed by Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the top commander in Baghdad, and backed by Donald H. Rumsfeld, then the defense secretary, called for turning over responsibility for security to the Iraqis, shrinking the number of American bases and beginning the gradual withdrawal of American troops.

The plan then called for the President to give every Iraqi Shiite a pony and to give the Sunnis pots of magic gold. Kurds would receive the gift of flight, unless they decided — in a fair, democratic vote — that they’d prefer invisibility.

Chaos Overran Iraq Plan in ’06, Bush Team Says [NYT]