Brownstein on the Dems' War Plan

I don't know how accurate it will prove to be in the long run, but Ron Brownstein's news analysis in this morning's LA Times is well worth a read. He suggests that Democrats in Congress are "rapidly" shifting toward a position like that now held by Rep. John Murtha - that troops need to be withdrawn from Iraq sooner rather than later.

Seems to be that the Senate Dems have an easier row to hoe here: their plan, which failed in the Senate last week, called for specific timetables based on results in Iraq. In the end, the Senate opted to require regular updates from the Administration on progress.

I am not, at this time, ready to accept Murtha's plan for a withdrawal within six months, as much as I'd like to be. We cannot risk the implosion of Iraq. I have no problem with setting specific goals and targets, however. And above all, I am glad indeed that this issue has become something that's being talked about, debated, and discussed. (I also wish that the tone of the debate in the House and some of the crap spewing from the Administration would be elevated out of the gutter, of course).

It is well past time that the American people and their representatives have a debate over the course of this conflict and the impact it is having not only here in America, but in Iraq and around the world. Let us discuss it calmly, rationally, and openly, without impugning motives or slinging epithets. I don't think that should be too much to ask.