Hmmm. Is it my imagination or are partisan Democratic pundits starting to become more circumspect about Iraq?

Joe Klein on Iraq:

There is a fair amount of creative thinking going on (outside the White House). What [Dennis] Ross is proposing is a variant on how it might be done. It requires a commitment to diplomacy and skill at execution that we just haven’t seen from the Bush Administration. My guess is that a Democratic Administration will provide it; my hope is that McCain–who is a frequent visitor to the region and knows how the diplomatic process operates–would proceed in this fashion, too, despite his witless “victory/surrender” rhetoric.

Again–as I’ve written in the past–the withdrawal has to continue without pause, but without specific timetable or end date. The chances are, no matter what we do, that Iraq will be a mess…or several messes. The best hope, if the withdrawal is done cleverly and responsibly, is that these will be contained messes. We owe the Iraqis our best shot at that; but we also need them to know that we are leaving, slowly, steadily, carefully, relentlessly.

Ostensibly, what Klein is reacting to is a piece by Dennis Ross in which he says [e.a.]:

McCain has a point: The eventual Democratic nominee will have to do a better job laying out a strategy for Iraq in light of a surge that has achieved at least some results. Sticking to a rigid timeline–no matter how popular a line that might be in the U.S.–may deny us a crucial political tool for affecting the future of Iraq and the broader region.

There is no denying that the surge has had an effect. It has fostered at least relative stability and has created greater space for political reconciliation, with initial steps having now been taken on legislation both for easing de-Ba’athification laws and for holding provincial elections. Whether these will actually be implemented, and in what ways, remains to be seen. Nonetheless, the surge has led to real improvements in local security.

What Klein is probably reacting to, however, is the very strong pushback against Barack Obama’s fatuous, childish “I have some news for John McCain and that is there was no such thing as Al Qaeda in iraq …”

The crowd behind Obama roared their approval (if the video is to be believed; I don’t believe it for a second. David Axelrod is a master at managing the impressions his candidate makes).

Obama sounded like a punk, though, and he got smacked around like a punk.

Obama’s attitude is shameful, and shamefully unserious.

Michael Yon has been blogging from inside Iraq for years. He has written thousands of words about the atrocities that al Qaeda in Iraq has committed against innocent Iraqis. This is what he wrote in August 2007:

The current controversy about the extent to which Al Qaeda is a threat to peace in Iraq is a case in point. Questions about which group calling itself an offshoot of Al Qaeda is really an offshoot of Al Qaeda is a distraction masquerading as a debate.

Al Qaeda is in Iraq, intentionally inflaming sectarian hostilities, deliberately pushing for full scale civil war. They do this by launching attacks against Shia, Sunni, Kurds and coalition forces. To ensure the attacks provoke counterattacks, they make them particularly gruesome.

Five weeks ago, I came into a village near Baqubah with American and Iraqi soldiers. Al Qaeda had openly stated Baqubah was their worldwide headquarters — indeed, Al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed just a short drive away.

Behind the village was a palm grove. I stood there, amid the crushing stench of death, and photographed the remains of decapitated children and murdered adults. I can still smell the rotting corpses of those children.

And the blogger Engram has been relentless in making the case for the truth about the role of al Qaeda Iraq.

Hillary Clinton finally figures out how to challenge Barack Obama [e.a.]:

In an interview with ABC’s Cynthia McFadden, Sen. Hillary Clinton, when asked about the Barack Obama phenomenon, used a quote from Obama to describe her opponent. “I think the best description actually is in Barack’s own book” Clinton said, “where he said that he is a blank screen and people of widely different views project what they want to hear.” Clinton continued saying “he just hasn’t been around long enough.” Clinton continued saying “But with the blank screen it gives you a chance to just really infuse it with whatever you hope for, whatever you want without knowing.”

There’s more:

Clinton was asked her reaction to the many women around this country who say they feel sorry for her. “I think a lot of woman project their own feelings in their lives on to me.”

Very, very deft.

A complex human being, that Hillary.

Angelina Jolie recently visited Iraq, and she’s got strong opinions, not to mention a strong moral compass:

My visit left me even more deeply convinced that we not only have a moral obligation to help displaced Iraqi families, but also a serious, long-term, national security interest in ending this crisis.

Today’s humanitarian crisis in Iraq — and the potential consequences for our national security — are great. Can the United States afford to gamble that 4 million or more poor and displaced people, in the heart of Middle East, won’t explode in violent desperation, sending the whole region into further disorder?

She suggests that the surge has helped create progress that American forces and NGOs can build upon. And she issues a challenge:

I would like to call on each of the presidential candidates and congressional leaders to announce a comprehensive refugee plan with a specific timeline and budget as part of their Iraq strategy.

That’s an excellent idea, even if it does come from a famous femme fatale (who I’ve mocked relentlessly on this blog).

Life is full of surprises. Some overprivileged movie stars turn out to be serious—and seriously bold—people.