Apparently the Joint Chiefs are exploring the mystical dimension of military planning. William James famously defined mystical experience as ineffable, that is, impossible to express in language. General Richard Myers must think the administration's Iraq plans fit this definition.
From the AP:
The top U.S. military officer said Thursday he could not estimate with confidence how long American forces will have to stay in Iraq.
"I really do believe it's unknowable," said Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in an interview with a group of reporters.
And lest you think that is the only great mystery, the story also notes:
Asked about the hunt for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, Myers said, "I can't tell you where he is."
Practicing mystics, however, often are able to go into ecstatic trances in order to achieve union with the divine. A possible solution?
Of course, the other possibility is that this is just obfuscation, because they know that they've gotten themselves into a hopeless situation. Either they cut and run just prior to the election, sentencing a generation of Iraqis to a lifetime of civil war, or they remain targets of an invisible insurgency into a distant and bloody future.
Either way, though, its hard to try to achieve a consensus when there's no information. Of course plans change based on circumstances. But you can't deflect a policy debate by pretending you don't have any plans at all.