An acceptable level of violence

From today's Press Briefing.

Q Do you, today, have a definition of what an acceptable level of violence would be in Iraq?

MR. SNOW: You know, I think what you've managed to do is to try to get your -- we're now playing the adjective game. The fact is, when you talk about an acceptable level, it is something that allows the government to exist independently. If you want to -- the problem is, everybody says, oh, so you accept violence. You like -- violence is okay. No, it's not okay.

So in abstract terms, zero violence is acceptable. On the other hand, we know well, and the President has said many times, that it is going to be a tactic of people who want to bring this government down to commit acts of violence, and violence unfortunately, at least for a while, is going to be a fact of Iraqi life.

So, any level of violence that allows the government to exist independently is now "acceptable."

120 bodies bound and tortured found in the streets of Baghdad in one day last fall, acceptable.

200 killed in a carbombing, acceptable.

Rape, torture, criminal gangs, ethnic cleansing, acceptable.

So long as it doesn't bring down the government.

Now that's redefining victory.