President Compares Iraq to Revolutionary War

Is it a good idea for President Bush to remind the American people of a long-ago fight to rid the country of an Imperial King George?

"We must succeed for our sake. For the security of our citizens, we must support the Iraqi government and we must defeat al-Qaeda in Iraq," said Bush, who will turn 61 on Friday.

Is it al-Qaeda that the US troops are fighting in Iraq? From what I've read, most of the attacks are by Iraqis who want the invading troops out of their country. When the US military announces a firefight with al-Qaeda operatives, it is just reported verbatim in the press without any questioning over the terminology - even when the dead turn out to be grandparents and children.

Glenn Greenwald sums it up here.

And when did George W Bush last appear in public, without a carefully-screened audience? Does anyone have the date?