On Thursday, White House Press Sec. Josh Earnest insisted that, all evidence to the contrary, there is no military solution to the present crisis in Iraq.

“There are no military solutions to the very difficult problems that exist in Iraq now,” Earnest said. “The American people cannot solve this problem for the Iraqi people. The only solution that exists is an Iraqi political solution.”

Of course, it’s difficult to convene a reconciliation commission while fundamentalist extremists are crucifying people. To suggest otherwise is completely delusional.

And obviously ISIS, the Kurds, the Shiite militias, and Iran – all of whom are all engaged in vicious combat in Iraq — have a different take on the situation. Furthermore, because the Pentagon was ordered to produce military options to address the situation in Iraq as early as June, the White House does not really believe this either.

This administration continues to act as though the power of positive thinking will overcome adversity. Or, at the very least, that the press will determine that the administration is not culpable for thousands of deaths and a near ethno-religious genocide in Iraq if they pretend that they can’t do anything about it.

In closing, here is an inexplicable clip of CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer offering his thoughts on the current crisis in Iraq:

“The whole country of Iraq seemingly falling apart right now,” he said. “This is not the way it was supposed to be after when President Obama announced that all forces would be leaving.”

“He was hoping, obviously, that there would be some peaceful transition there,” the veteran CNN news anchor continued.

Perhaps he did not realize that “hoping” in the face of the warnings of countless informed advisors that a “peaceful transition” was unlikely is a stinging indictment of this administration.

Blitzer closed by noting that the current crisis is also not what George W. Bush envisioned when he appeared on the USS Abraham Lincoln and declared “mission impossible.”

Heave the heaviest sigh.