Mission Renamed

You've probably heard by now that the Global War On Terror is "over?" That is to say, it cannot be won and so it will be replaced by - ready? - a Global Struggle Against Violent Extremism. GWOT>GSAVE. At least it can be relayed in less nonsensical acronyms. But I can't help thinking, isn't this what John Kerry was saying all along? See George Lakoff's essay on the framing issues behind the change. Then see Juan Cole. We're redefining "success", too:

So the insurgency is stronger than ever, killing more people this year than it did last year, killing foreign diplomats with impunity, and generally things have gone to hell in a handbasket in the two years since Bush trumpeted "Mission Accomplished." And now we're saying, well, as long as IT DOESN'T GET ANY WORSE, our job is done? Talk about moving the goalposts.