As Peter’s report on Iraq concilliation makes clear, there is a reasonable chance to achieve a good outcome in Iraq. The political ramifications of this should not be underestimated. Last night, Tim Russert gleefully attempted to force the GOP contenders to acknowledge that the Iraq war was not a mistake. This attempt to extract an “admission against interest” looks differently in light of the reality of events in Iraq and the turn in public opinion as conditions on the ground improve. Who will have the worst of it in November if there’s a McCain-Hillary match up: the candidate who voted for the war but then lost nerve and wants to pull the plug or the candidate who struggled mightily to rescue a decent result for America? (If the opponent is Obama the divide is similary striking, minus the hypocritical backtracking.) That, plus the belated recognition by the Democratic establishment and liberal media of the toxicity of the Clintons’ brand of politics, leaves open the possibility that 2008 may not be the Republican debacle so many expected.