It's interesting how different headlines announce the departure of Gen. Peter Pace as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff:

• "Gen. Peter Pace to Retire as Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman" (Fox News)

• "Joint Chiefs Chair Will Bow Out" (Washington Post)

• "General 'sacrificed' to clear decks on Iraq" (Guardian UK)

• "Top US military officer sacked" (SBS World News Australia)

However you want to spin it, the purge of the Iraq war scapegoats architects is almost complete, leaving Bush with a "clean slate" and a spotless record on the war come September.

P.S. Defense Secretary Gates regarding the qualifications of the Chief of Naval Operations nominated to replace Pace:

Gates said Mullen "has a broad view of what the needs and requirements of the services are." To illustrate that, Gates said that when Mullen was recently asked by senior Pentagon adviser what he was most concerned about, he replied, "The Army."

Well, at least it's comforting to know that Adm. Mullen is aware the United States has an Army.