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There are only a few clear take-aways from Bush’s speech last night.

One, the persistent failure of the reality in Iraq to conform to his rosy prediction has taught him absolutely nothing.

Two, when confronted by inconvenient facts or – worse – inconvenient poll numbers – his default strategy is to Lie Harder. Why wouldn’t he? It’s worked for him so far.

Three, no matter how often a lie has been discredited, that won’t stop him from repeating it – or at least slyly suggesting it – whenever it happens to be convenient to his political purposes. It takes a mind-bending effort of mendacity to continue to associate the Iraq war with 9/11 – and yet he does so no less than five times. It takes even more mind-bending leaps of logic to suggest that we are in Iraq to fight the terrorists – who weren’t even there when this debacle began.

Four, he remains constitutionally incapable of recognizing that, for any given circumstance, there might actually be more than two possible courses of action. The only choice he sees is between continuing what he’s been doing all along – and quitting altogether. It’s as if, while barreling down the highway, he sees a sign declaring that the bridge ahead is out – and concludes that he can only “bravely forge ahead,” or turn tail and go home. Not to worry, dear, that bridge is on the mend…

The possibility of an alternate route eludes him.

In short, we’re screwed. We got into this war because we had a commander-in-chief who was utterly disconnected from reality – and we will remain at war, at yet-unimagined costs in lives and dollars and dislocation, until we have a commander-in-chief who is worthy of the name.

I live in New York, so I would never speak lightly 9/11. But as devastatingly awful as that day was – it pales in comparison to the harm George W Bush has done, and continues to do, by invoking its memory.