THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

From the AP, we get the news that Our Dear Embattled Leader is throwing in his oft repeated two cents worth (adjusted for inflation) on Iraq policy.

His war policies under siege at home, President Bush said Saturday there would be no early troop withdrawal because "sober judgment" must prevail over emotional calls to end the military mission before Iraq is stabilized.

"We will fight the terrorists in Iraq. We will stay in the fight until we have achieved the victory that our brave troops have fought for," Bush told thousands of American troops spilling out of a cold hangar at this U.S. military installation 40 miles south of Seoul. "The defense of freedom is worth our sacrifice."

Yes, it's true; the defense of freedom is worth our sacrifice, but Iraq is unquestionably not worth anymore sacrifice.

However, if ODEL wants to prove that he is more than a one tick pony he will have to turn his attention to other matters.

Now Bush turns to a two-day state visit in China, a strategically key nation. The communist giant is a vast and growing market for American goods, undertaking a military buildup that worries U.S. officials and using its economic might to assert itself globally.

Taking center stage in Sunday's meetings with Chinese President Hu Jintao are bird flu fears - China reported its first human cases this week - and sticky trade issues.

Bush also planned to continue his push to maintain a unified front among all the U.S. partners in talks aimed at stripping North Korea of nuclear weapons. After sitting down with Hu, Bush will have met on this trip with all four other participants in the negotiations, which also include South Korea, Japan and Russia.

The president also was hoping to gently press for democratic advances in China. Through a pre-trip meeting in Washington with the Dalai Lama, advance interviews with foreign reporters and a speech earlier in the week in Kyoto, Japan, Bush has emphasized the need for greater religious freedom. He intends to underline that point by worshipping at a government-approved church in Beijing.

If he would stop playing to his base for one minute, he might realize that Hu probably views their meeting as something like a visit to a comedy club on Open Mike Night. He will smile politely and clap vaguely at poorly thought out and badly presented one liners.