Cut and Run is, of course, a taunt that has been in use for hundreds if not thousands of years. Originally, when wars were still fought with swords, this would have had a quite literal meaning.
Unsurprisingly, there is something that we can all wish Bush had understood about the concept prior to launching this horrific folly.
Perhaps the most famous use of the phrase 'Cut and Run' would have been the charges hurled at James Brundell, 7th Earl of Cardigan.
Lord Cardigan was the man who led the Charge of the Light Brigade. The Charge, which was both incredibly brave and astonishingly stupid, was a sprint across the Balaclava plain through a constant barrage of artillery fire from Russians on the hills surrounding the plain. It ended with the British in amongst the Russian gun emplacements on the far end of the Causeway Heights.
The British reached the Russians, exchanged a few swipes with their swords (they were Horse Cavalry after all) and then beat a hasty retreat. In fact, they did very little damage as the Russian winter tunics were thick and had a rough leather outer, which would have taken a great deal of cutting with the light Cavalry sabre.
When Cardigan returned to England, he was reviled publicly for losing so many men in such a useless action. "Cut and Run" was an obvious and applicable taunt.
What should he have done? Here we find the lesson missed by this administration.
He should never have charged in the first place.