Gillespie's "Golden Apples."

Look, it is pretty amazing that the President would utter an outright and provable lie in a major written speech, (36 countries having military troops in Iraq disproved in this WaPo fact check,) but understand that part of the point of this lie is to give critics something small to distract themselves with.

The White House is more than happy to argue about the size of "the coalition." That means we're not challenging the core substance.

This new "golden apple" tactic has become a feature since Gillespie took over Rove's spot. Watch for it.

(Is Atalanta and the "Golden Apples" too obscure?)

(Later: Intentional ambiguity over which troops and how many troops come home when only forces media reporting that reinforces the "coming home" message.)