By Gene Lyons

Lately, even once-worshipful GOP pundits have been puzzled by the mystery of George W. Bush. Some find his jauntiness in the face of disaster inspiring; others find it unsettling. Almost everybody finds it rather unusual (but hold that thought).

With Iraq War support eroding among Republicans, the White House launched a recent propaganda offensive. On Independence Day, Bush informed a West Virginia audience, “Many of the spectacular car bombings and killings you see are as a result of Al Qaeda – the very same folks that attacked us on September the 11th. A major enemy in Iraq is the same enemy that dared attack the United States on that fateful day.”

“The very same folks,” he said. Except that Al Qaeda in Iraq – the fanatics he’s talking about – didn’t exist on 9/11. The 2003 U.S. invasion created them. The word “folks,” incidentally, is what poker players call Bush’s “tell.” It invariably signifies he’s lying to people he considers yokels.

According to The Washington Post, CIA director Michael Hayden has told the White House that Al Qaeda is a deadly but relatively minor threat in Iraq. Many experts believe rival Sunni and Shiite militias would decimate them following a U.S. withdrawal.