DARK DAYS AHEAD

Headlines don't say it all, but this subhead comes close: "Civil War Called Possible -- Tone Differs From Public Statements." It's missing from the online edition of the story, which uses the main head only: "U.S. Intelligence Shows Pessimism on Iraq's Future." Taken together, their meaning is this: Our Nincompoop in Chief and his minions have been lying about the war in Iraq.

Douglas Jehl reports that "a classified National Intelligence Estimate prepared for President Bush in late July spells out a dark assessment of prospects for Iraq" and that "the pessimistic tone of the new estimate stands in contrast to recent statements by Bush administration officials, including comments on Wednesday by Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, who asserted that progress was being made."

Does this sound like progress? "The estimate outlines three possibilities for Iraq through the end of 2005, with the worst case being developments that could lead to civil war. ... The most favorable outcome described is an Iraq whose stability would remain tenuous in political, economic and security terms."

Maybe Dummy Boy, Bunker Boy and Rummy Boy haven't taken a good look at the map of Iraq lately. When John Kerry says Dummy Boy is living in a "fantasy world of spin," he's being charitable.