Iraq, the Democrats and 2008

John Edwards has decided to stake first claim to the anti-war territory among legitmate Democratic contenders in 2008 who also voted to authorize the war.

I was wrong. . .

It was a mistake to vote for this war in 2002. I take responsibility for that mistake. It has been hard to say these words because those who didn't make a mistake -- the men and women of our armed forces and their families -- have performed heroically and paid a dear price.

As time passes, it will be interesting to watch how Clinton, Kerry, Bayh and Biden handle the issue of their votes to authorize the war.

Meanwhile, Feingold's vote against the war means he can run an "I told you so" campaign that will make it more difficult for the other candidates to make deep inroads with the growing anti-war portion of the electorate. In fact, George Will is already touting McCain vs. Feingold as an ideal matchup. I find it hard to disagree. It would look a lot like the seemingly impossible fictional campaign on the West Wing right now.