At the VFW convention yesterday, the president reaffirmed his support for Nuri al-Maliki, describing him as “a good guy, a good man with a difficult job, and I support him.” As for whether Maliki should be replaced, Bush said, “[I]t’s not up to politicians in Washington, D.C. to say whether he will remain in his position — that is up to the Iraqi people who now live in a democracy, and not a dictatorship.”

There’s that word again, “democracy.” In his 45-minute speech, Bush used the word a remarkable 21 times, apparently to reinforce the thinking behind his alleged democracy-promoting agenda.

It all sounds nice until one realizes that even officials in Bush’s administration are becoming increasingly open to the idea of giving up altogether on the idea of an Iraqi democracy.