President Bush's long-awaited speech on Iraq, complete with a Cliffs Notes-style booklet outlining our nation's victory strategy, was a great disappointment.

Maybe that's as good as it gets when considering a war waged on what now looks to be false — or at least badly misunderstood — pretenses.

There was certainly no mention of weapons of mass destruction. Perhaps because there weren't any WMD in the first place.

But after nearly three years, billions of dollars and more than 2,000 American casualties, the country certainly deserved more from its commander-in-chief's speech than a recasting of anti-terrorist rhetoric.

Bush reiterated that Iraq would become a "safe haven" for terrorists, so that nothing less than a total victory would be acceptable. He didn't mention a timetable for a withdrawal. But, of course, we never expected him to provide the that kind of detail.

We did want to see an indication that the president recognizes the growing concern of Americans that we have entered a Vietnam-like "quagmire" with no clearly defined exit plan. We don't have to "cut and run." But we do need a sense of how the United States can ease off and allow the Iraqis to fight their own war.

Bush said more military bases were being handed over to Iraqis as training efforts continued. But he also noted that the end of this war would be very different from World War II and the surrender of Japan.

In Iraq, Bush said, there would be no signing on the deck of a battleship. "Victory will come when the terrorists and Saddamists can no longer threaten Iraq's democracy," Bush said. "When the Iraqi security forces can provide for the safety of their own citizens. And when Iraq is not a safe haven for terrorists to plot new attacks on our nation."

Sounds good. But is that even possible in the distant future? In our lifetime?

In the meantime, we must recognize that the war has only exacerbated the divisive rifts in the region and the potential for terrorism world-wide.

In view of that, what the president delivered yesterday was neither detailed nor satisfying enough about a war that has gone on too long and claimed too many American lives.