Quote of the day

"I, for one, am tired of paying the price of 10 or more of our troops dying a day. So let's cut and run or cut and walk, but let us fight the way on terror more intelligently that we have because we have fought this war in a very lamentable way."

-- Oregon's (Republican) Senator Gordon Smith

He also observed that he is at "the end of my rope when it comes to supporting a policy that has our soldiers patrolling the same streets in the same way, being blown up the same bombs, day after day."

"That is absurd," he said. "It may even be criminal."

Nothing like a little Iraq Study Group to provide a bit of political cover. I'm becoming convinced that was what the ISG was really aiming for in the report. No one on that panel could have expected Bush to heed their words. I think the ISG crew was trying to convince a) the traditional media, who for some reason seem to think that withdrawal is out of the mainstream notwithstanding that 60% of Americans favor complete withdrawal in 6 months, and b) senators and congressfolk who are, for whatever reason, still in thrall to Bush and Rove.

Well, they can put a checkmark by Gordon Smith.