So where are the adults already

Remember when the Bush team came into office and with their stiff grey suits and power ties assured Americans that the pizza-and-khaki days were over and now the adults were in charge?

Obviously in Bushland, adulthood as meaning just wearing a big man suit is just another drag costume, and as far as it goes.

The architect of the so-called "surge" is getting outta Dodge while the getting's still good and people aren't yet asking questions:

Deputy national security adviser J.D. Crouch II, who helped spearhead the recent policy review that led President Bush to send more U.S. troops to Iraq, announced yesterday that he will step down early next month, becoming the latest key aide to depart the White House at a critical juncture.

Crouch, the No. 2 official at the National Security Council, has been a pivotal figure on a series of difficult issues, including Afghanistan, North Korea, Iran and the detention policy for terrorism suspects. And it was his interagency group meeting at the White House complex for many weeks last winter that resulted in the ongoing troop buildup in Iraq, which has become the defining decision of the year for Bush.

In an interview, Crouch said he is leaving to devote more time to his family after six years in the administration. He expressed confidence that Bush's policy of trying to build democracy in Iraq and spread it around the world will ultimately pay off. "I worry about it," he said. "I think it's important to question your assumptions, always ask yourself if you're on the right track. But as I look at the agenda that the president has set out, I think it's the right agenda, and history will vindicate that."

Crouch becomes the second top official involved in crafting the new Iraq strategy to leave before it is clear if the new approach will work.

The next time Americans are tempted to vote for the guy who has the most tough-talk, they might want to keep this in mind.