A failure?

An interview I recently viewed on line was between a host and a spinmeister talking about the war in Iraq. They were going back and forth several times over defining what a failure is. The host saw the war efforts to date as a failure, the spinmeister saw it the other way.

Finally, after a very slow and clear statement, the host said,

"...the efforts thus far have been a failure."

The spinmeister replied,

"I would disagree, it's a success that hasn't occurred yet."

What? You can't be serious?

I couldn't believe my ears. So if something is foul, it just a pleasantry that hasn't occurred yet? I cannot believe how twisted the art of spinning and "managing the message" has become.