Administration's credibility gap on Iraq

Analysis
Old Forecasts Come Back to Haunt Bush
Erosion in Confidence Will Be Hard to Reverse, Say Pollsters, Strategists

By Jim VandeHei
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 21, 2006; Page A14

Three years of upbeat White House assessments about Iraq that turned out to be premature, incomplete or plain wrong are complicating President Bush's efforts to restore public faith in the military operation and his presidency, according to pollsters and Republican lawmakers and strategists.

The last two weeks have provided a snapshot of White House optimism that skeptics contend is at odds with the facts on the ground in Iraq.

(The rest of the article is here.)

(A related article, An Iraq Success Story's Sad New Chapter is here.)