"...there's no success like failure..."

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) has asked Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to stay in his job and Rumsfeld has agreed to do so, a senior Bush administration official said on Friday.

"Secretary Rumsfeld is a proven leader during challenging times. We're fighting a different kind of war and it's crucial that we win this war," the official said.

Hmmm. Now, once you get your head wrapped around the idea that the war in Iraq -- urban warfare set against a backdrop of occupation and insurgency -- is somehow unique rather than a classic example of warfare that goes back to Roman times, why did some nameless "official" have to make the announcement? Weird.

"...And that failure's no success at all."