Tonight at 9 p.m. ET President Bush will address the nation in response to this week's congressional testimony by Gen. Petraeus and Amb. Crocker and triumphantly announce the withdrawal of some 30,000 U.S. troops from Iraq by next summer. Call it a cold hunch, but we have a feeling he will link the drawdown directly to "progress on the ground," or "facts on the ground," possibly "signs of success on the ground." Something to do with the ground. But what's the real story behind the troop withdrawal?

In today's episode of TPMtv we attempt to preemptively inoculate you against the President's spin by showing you the administration getting its story straight in real time, with a little help from Press Secretary Tony Snow, who delivered a magisterial performance in his final televised press briefing ...