CREDIBILITY GAP: So why are President Bush's poll numbers on honesty and trustworthiness so darned low these days? Is it all the fault of the dreaded MSM, as some would have us believe? Or might it have something to do with public statements like these?

"The training of the Iraqi security forces is an enormous task, and it always hasn't gone smoothly. We all remember the reports of some Iraqi security forces running from the fight more than a year ago. Yet in the past year, Iraqi forces have made real progress. At this time last year, there were only a handful of Iraqi battalions ready for combat...." -- President George W. Bush, Nov. 30, 2005

"Our strategy is to help the Iraqis help themselves. It's important that we train Iraqi troops. There are nearly 100,000 troops trained." -- President George W. Bush, September 23, 2004

Nah. Must be the MSM.

UPDATE: As always, TMV's Joe Gandelman has the definitive blog round-up of the Iraq address quoted above.