Hail to the Flip-Flopper -Zakaria, Newsweek

[Rose Siding]

In a recent letter to a Civil War historian, President Bush wrote, 'Lincoln set the goal and stayed the course. I will do the same'

Feb. 14 issue - Last week's elections were a great day for Iraq, for the Middle East, for America and for one American in particular. George W. Bush rightly deserves credit for these elections and what they symbolize. Many have argued that the events vindicate Bush's steadfast, unwavering, even stubborn style of leadership. But do they? The Iraqi elections occurred because George Bush changed course, junked a previous plan and adapted to realities on the ground. In fact, much of the progress in Iraq over the past eight months can be traced to Bush's willingness to reverse himself. The enduring problems in Iraq, on the other hand, developed and grew because his administration doggedly refused to recognize errors and make changes. This is more than a point of historical interest. Going forward in Iraq—and beyond—we will need more of Bush's suppleness and less of the much-lauded steadfastness.

The American plan was not to hold elections this January. Paul Bremer had set out a seven-step process in which the United States kept tight control of Iraq. Elections were to be held only after an elaborate series of caucuses to choose an assembly and draft a constitution, followed by a national referendum. Washington stood firm on this plan—"We will stay the course," Bush said repeatedly in the face of criticism—until it became clear that things were unraveling. A man to whom the U.S. had paid no attention, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the most powerful voice in the Shia community, was dead set against it.

Recognizing reality, Washington in March 2004 hastily asked the United Nations to go in and broker a compromise. The administration then accepted an entirely new plan agreed to by Sistani and U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. " was the quarterback," Bush admitted, enraging many conservatives in Washington. In fact, these reversals were extremely wise and rescued America's Iraq policy.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6920207/site/newsweek/