From The Boston Globe, 12/12/06:
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/12/12/bushs_sinking_ship_of_fools/...

Bush's sinking ship of fools

By H.D.S. Greenway

"THE CURRENT approach is not working, and the ability of the United
States to influence events is diminishing," said Lee Hamilton,
co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group.

"Our ship of state has hit rough waters."

The seafaring metaphor has become the sine qua non of Iraq
discussions.

"Stay the course" and "cut and run" come to mind, the latter referring
to the days when you might cut your anchor chain in order to save the
ship.

One is tempted to call the Baker-Hamilton condemnation of incompetence
and bungling a shot across the bow of an Iraq policy that is dead in
the water and sinking.