Russert Watch: "We're Going to Have to Leave It There"

Finally, a Sunday morning show worth watching, where a Republican senator at long last spoke some truth about Iraq. Unfortunately for Meet the Press watchers, this happened on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos. The Republican senator on MTP was Trent Lott, and his attempts to defend the war would have been comical if the consequences weren't so tragic.

The better Republican get, Sen. Chuck Hagel, appeared on This Week. Here's what Hagel said, and what you didn't hear on Meet the Press: (video)

"Stay the course is not a policy.... And so I think by any standard when you analyze two and a half years in Iraq where we have put in over a third of a trillion dollars, where we have lost over 1,900 Americans, over 14,000 wounded, electricity production down, oil production down... any measurement, any standard you apply to this, we're not winning.... The longer we stay, the more problems we're going to have."

Strong words. And such a relief to hear a senior elected official from the governing party say what the majority of Americans already believe. Plus, keep in mind that, unlike Bush and Cheney, Hagel actually knows what Vietnam was like.

Over at MTP, we were treated to Trent Lott desperately jumping through hoops in his reason-defying war-defending song and dance. To be fair, other than actually having to execute this war -- with too few troops, too little international help, and zero justification -- the hardest job in the world right now is being sent out to defend it.

But Lott was also on the show to promote his book Herding Cats. And MTP managed to bury the lede, which came straight from Lott's book: "In the summer of 2002...the President began lobbying for an open-ended resolution empowering him to wage war on Iraq.... Bush had made clear his intentions to wage war on Iraq in several of our private meetings."

That's big news, (to watch the video, check out Crooks & Liars) because it's not coming from a British intelligence official, or some Democrat who can be refuted by questioning his patriotism. It's coming from a conservative Republican senator. Of course Lott immediately tried to file off the sharp edges and have it both ways: put some truth in the book, and take it back on TV.

But that was nothing compared to his flailing all over the place in his attempts to rebut Sen. Russ Feingold. He tried to get through his stint on war-defense watch duty without embarrassing himself too much or taking too much shrapnel and failed miserably. Here's a sampling: "Yes, we are winning in Iraq... we have had a plan there. We are still working on it. It's one you have to change. ... I hear it even in my state. People want to know: "What's the plan? What's the exit strategy? How long is this going to be?" ... But I think that the reverse is true. If you say, "Look, here's a schedule, here's a deadline or even here's a plan to be out of there by a certain date," ... you're telling the insurgents, "Just be calm. Just wait. We'll be out of here, and then, you know, you can have your civil war and chaos can ensue."... I talked in my own state this past week about the need for an exit strategy, a plan.... I am responding to the questions of my own constituents who, by the way, are, you know, very pro-military and very strong red-state.... But they have a right to ask their elected officials, you know, "What is the plan?"

Wow, sounds like the administration has it all under control. But thanks, Senator Lott, for at least acknowledging that we're allowed to wonder whether there's a plan.

So, how does Senator Lott know that it's all going hunky-dory? Some guy told him so: "I was speaking on Friday night to a Bronze Star Army non-com, and I asked him specifically about what he did, how did he feel about it, was it worthwhile, are we making progress? And he said yes."

You hear that, American people? The guy said yes. That should make you feel better. As for making the Iraqis feel better, that's simple, too: "The magic, the appeal, of freedom and democracy is very strong."

So that's the plan: Operation "Feel the Magic." Maybe instead of spending all that money trying to armor the humvees, we should just send over some fog machines and a laser show.

The Lott segment ended with what seemed an eternity on the burning question that has all of Americans on the edge of their seats: which southern fundamentalist senator -- Frist or Lott -- will be the leader of the Senate Republicans?

The end of the show brought us a truly memorable exchange. It came during the interview with Reuel Marc Gerecht, former CIA Middle East specialist and author of The Islamic Paradox, discussing the development of democracy in Iraq.

GERECHT: I think it's important to remember that in the year 1900, for example, in the United States ... women did not have the right to vote. If Iraqis could develop a democracy that resembled America in the 1900s, I think we'd all be thrilled. I mean, women's social rights are not critical to the evolution of democracy. We hope they're there. I think they will be there. But I think we need to put this into perspective.

Gregory's response? "All right. We're going to have to leave it there."

Indeed.