The claims of calm deliberation emerging from the White House this week are maddening. The search for a new plan for Iraq is taking place with as much urgency as the deliberations over a new colour for the dollar bill.

On Tuesday, a suicide bomber killed at least 70 people in Baghdad. Most of those who perished were Shiite labourers whose only sin was looking for work. In Washington, meanwhile, President Bush held a series of stage-managed meetings with officials and experts whose common credential is their opposition to the recommendations of James Baker’s Iraq Study Group. To top it off, White House aides told reporters that the country should not expect any announcement of a new strategy soon. The president’s spokesman, Tony Snow, said that “it’s a complex business, and there are a lot of things to take into account.” Bush has no time to waste on “listening tours” and photo ops. The nation is in a crisis, and Americans need to hear how he plans to unwind the chaos he has unleashed in Iraq. If the president is delaying because he is searching for a good option, he can stop. There are none. But Americans need to see that he is prepared to choose among the undesirable alternatives, and clear the way for a withdrawal of American troops that does not leave even more killing and mayhem behind.