Hey, kids! Just in time for the 2006 elections, the GOP has a new vacuous slogan for Iraq! No longer are we “staying the course.” Things are different! New! Fresh! Now we’re “adapting to win.” Say it together!

Bunk.

From a copywriter’s perspective, I can tell you exactly why Republicans have chosen this language for their new spin.

“Staying the course” is tired. It’s too open-ended for a war-weary public that has realized we have no real “Strategy for Victory.” (Yep, I said “Strategy for Victory.” Remember that one? Another hollow promise dreamed up in the White House’s dimly-lit inhouse marketing firm Orwell & Associates.)

Over the past six months, we've witnessed several strange phenomena that appear to be part of a larger pattern. I'm not certain, but I think these events are evidence that our news media are coming back to life.

Funny thing is, just when the big stories break, we see some some guy with a red hand caught in a cookie jar. To divert attention, he points at the reporter and cries "Treason!"

Just a few instances off the top of my head...

In response to the disclosure of the illegal, warrantless wiretapping program, the President categorized the news as harmful to national security, putting innoncent Americans at risk.