In The Parallel Universe Known As "Journalism"

According to the Patrick Healy of the NY Times, if conditions keep getting better in Iraq then Bush won't be as much of a drag on his party.

If security continues to improve, President Bush could become less of a drag on his party, too, and Republicans may have an easier time zeroing in on other issues, such as how the Democrats have proposed raising taxes in difficult economic times.

Where shall Mr. Healy go for the money shot, I mean quote, on this one? One guess. If I were a journalist writing a story about how "improving conditions" in Iraq might make campaigning for Democratic presidential candidates more difficult I would go to a "Democrat" who supported the Iraq invasion and every other tactic pushed by the administration, and has been wrong at every turn. Whaddaya know, it's Michael O'Hanlon!

“The politics of Iraq are going to change dramatically in the general election, assuming Iraq continues to show some hopefulness,” said Michael E. O’Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who is a supporter of Mrs. Clinton’s and a proponent of the military buildup. “If Iraq looks at least partly salvageable, it will be important to explain as a candidate how you would salvage it — how you would get our troops out and not lose the war. The Democrats need to be very careful with what they say and not hem themselves in.”

That's right, if you want to write a story about the politics of Iraq and how it is like quicksand for Democrats, go to someone who has always been wrong about all things Iraq. Up is down and down is up in the world of the beltway establishment and MSM, but if I were Hillary Clinton I wouldn't listen to one bit of advice coming from O'Hanlon.