Meanwhile, . . .

Dan Froomkin’s “White House Watch” in the Washington Post has always been a must read for me. Today’s piece show one of the reasons why:

Five Years After ‘Mission Accomplished’

Much has happened in the five years since President Bush flew aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in “Top Gun” style, stood under a banner proclaiming “Mission Accomplished” and proudly declared: “Major combat operations in Iraq have ended.”

Five years ago, 139 American troops had died in Iraq. Now that number is 4,064. Five years ago, 542 American troops had been wounded in Iraq. Now that number is 29,395.

Five years ago, the national debt was $6.5 trillion. Now it’s $9.3 trillion. Five years ago, your average gallon of gas cost $1.44. Now it costs $3.57. Five years ago, Bush’s job-approval rating was at 70 percent. Now it’s at 28.

Five years ago, Bush’s appearance on the carrier was widely hailed as a brilliant PR move, imbuing the president with the aura of a conquering hero. Now, it’s possibly the single most potent image of Bush’s hubris.

One thing that’s not so different: Five years ago, there were about 150,000 American troops in Iraq. Now there are slightly more.