Convening the "Wise Men"

is always a bad sign.
Lyndon Johnson didn't meet with the democratic party's idea of Old Money until his administration was well into the "hunker-down-like-a-jackass-in-a-hailstorm" phase.
It is the same with Bush, he convenes a gathering of former Secretaries of Defense and State to discuss Iraq policy as the bodies and grisly bits pile up ever higher.
Shit, Bush talks like a winner but acts like a bankrupt mooch, is there any question that if the Iraq adventure was going well that Bush would cut these guys dead with a unpleasant little snicker?
No he is in trouble and out of ideas, hence the gathering of Messrs Haig, Schultz, Perry, Schlesinger & McNamara et al to help the President think.
Frankly, I'd think twice about bringing Bob McNamara back into the White House on any pretext. Even at age 89, the former Secretary of Defense has plenty on the ball...if he so chose, he could easily spirit the President, the Veep & the Whole Cabinet off to Saint Elizabeth's in straitjackets and then settle down in the Oval Office to get the Government back on track.