WINNING THE WAR....Mickey Kaus writes today that Bob Krumm has a surefire strategy for Democrats: "The strategy is this: Win the war in Iraq."

But wait. I clicked over to Krumm's site and it turns out that Mickey has subtly Dowdified his advice. Here's what he actually said: "I offer Democrats a sure-fire, absolutely guaranteed way to win the Presidency in 2008: Let Bush win the war in Iraq."

Now, I have my doubts that there are any Democrats who know how to win the war, which makes Mickey's version problematic as strategy. But Krumm's actual version is worse. After all, so far Bush has been allowed to do every single thing he's wanted. Democrats have denied him nothing. He's gotten every dollar, every weapon, and every body he's asked for. He has maintained absolute control over the strategy on the ground, which has produced anarchy, followed by insurgency, followed by Abu Ghraib. When John Kerry suggested expanding the size of the military, Bush scoffed. When Wes Clark proposed a detailed diplomatic strategy, nobody listened. A chorus of voices have suggested that the Army needs to take counterinsurgency more seriously, but Donald Rumsfeld has other ideas.

It's obvious to anyone even remotely paying attention that Bush doesn't know how to win the war — regardless of which definition of "win" you favor — but doesn't want to hear suggestions from anyone else either. So what exactly is it that Democrats are supposed to do to help him?

On the bright side, perhaps Bob Krumm can join the law firm I've been thinking of setting up with David Frum and Bob Shrum. With the four of us, it would be Frum, Shrum, Drum, and Krumm. I wonder if any of us are lawyers?