The former head of the National Security Agency, William Odom, is warning that the Iraq situation is as grim as any war he’s ever seen. He told the Guardian of London * “This is far graver than Vietnam.* There wasn’t as much at stake strategically… now we’re in a region far more volatile and we’re in much worse shape with our allies.”

The Bush administration yesterday rejected the bleak assessment of the intelligence community and critics. One official told reporters, “The Iraqi people continue to defy the predictions of talking heads, pundits, hand-wringers and nay-sayers.”