We love it when a plan comes together

The Bush administration succeeds by failing.

Published July 17, 2006 3:04PM (EDT)

Success through failure, or three news stories and we'll call it a trend:

Iraq: In an "about-face," some Sunnis in Iraq say they're in no hurry for U.S. troops to leave their country. The primary reason: The New York Times says Sunnis need the U.S. troops to protect them from Shiite militias and the U.S.-backed, Shiite-dominated Iraqi government.

Israel-Hezbollah: Some Arab states that once would have used the current crisis to chastise Israel and support its opponents are criticizing Hezbollah instead. One reason: The Times says some Arab leaders fear the rising influence and power of Iran.

Taxes and the economy: U.S. tax revenues for the fiscal year are now expected to be about 5 percent higher than the administration expected, giving the president the numbers he needs to claim a big reduction in the deficit. The reason: The Wall Street Journal says that corporations and the rich are making a larger share of the nation's income -- which is to say, typical wage earners are making less. "The administration says it's being conservative in projecting future revenue growth at just 2.4 percent next year," the Journal says. "But how much revenues actually increase depends not only on how the economy fares, but on whether income inequality remains as wide as it is now."


By Tim Grieve

Tim Grieve is a senior writer and the author of Salon's War Room blog.

MORE FROM Tim Grieve


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Iraq Middle East U.s. Economy War Room