Middle East expert and author Stephen Zunes [3] dissected some of George W. Bush [4]'s "simplistic formulations" made during the State of the Union [5] (SOTU) address. Bush stated, "there is a difference between responsible criticism that aims for success, and defeatism that refuses to acknowledge anything but failure. Hindsight alone is not wisdom. And second-guessing is not a strategy." Zunes countered, "Recognizing that the [Iraq] war is probably unwinnable is not defeatism. It is realism. Aiming for an unachievable military 'success' is not responsible. It is a folly of tragic proportions. And insisting the Bush administration [6] be held accountable for the lies [7], the negligence, and the tragic blunders which have resulted from this ongoing tragedy is a patriotic duty."