Plain Talk from Joe Lieberman

In this piece, Senator Joe Lieberman asks the question that really sums up the biggest issue facing the Congress when it comes to the Iraq war:

Will we allow our actions to be driven by the changing conditions on the ground in Iraq--or by the unchanging political and ideological positions long ago staked out in Washington? What ultimately matters more to us: the real fight over there, or the political fight over here?

By nature, I'm an optimist -- but I'm not optimistic about the way the Democrats will behave. For too long, it's seemed evident that their primary interest in the war isn't winning it -- it's finding a way to exploit it for maximum political advantage. Exhibit A? The dishonorable excuses and shifting rationales for having supported the war being bandied about by the party's presidential candidates.