Yeah, great idea — give Joe Lieberman further reason to leave the Democratic party.

This sounds like a reasonable timetable until you realize everyone making the deal will likely be dead by then.

Speaking of timetables, John McCain isn’t biting, despite the media’s effort to hype Maliki’s comments coming out of the Status of Forces Agreement talks. Unfortunately, for the Democrats, Maliki is “not endorsing the Barack Obama agenda of immediate U.S. withdrawal starting on January 20.” (But maybe Obama’s withdrawal agenda is no longer operative. It’s hard to know.) At any rate, who would have thought Maliki would be playing to an active domestic polity and impressing his neighbors?

Hey, that’s the idea write a headline like “Candidates Refine Their Stances on a Changing Iraq” because it is so much easier for Obama if it seems they both have changed. Except they haven’t and the same article says McCain insists “withdrawal would come after victory in Iraq.” Darn. Seemed like a promising gambit.

I’m sure McCain’s cigarette comment will offend someone.

I love puppies, but the need for housetraining material still doesn’t justify keeping the Los Angeles Times around. And that’s according to people who write there .

It’s difficult to be a good ally and repair our allegedly frayed ties with our international friends while preaching protectionism. (But isn’t Obama for free trade this week? It’s tough to keep up.)

The Democrats still haven’t kissed and made up. And people can’t get it through their heads that Obama has been entirely consistent. What’s wrong with everyone?

Obama has done such an effective job of double-talk on Iraq at least one prominent pundit is convinced he is going to Iraq so as not to change policy. Or is he (the pundit) joking?