Foley Scandal Obscures Huge Iraq News?

It's hard to imagine the roadblock coverage the media would give to an announcement by John Warner (R-VA), the chairman of the armed services committee in the Senate, that the U.S. should strongly consider a "change of course" unless Iraq gets its act together in the next ninety days. Warner recently returned from Iraq. It's fair to say that his assessment was influenced by the opinions of top generals there.

Echoing the sentiments of several leading Democrats on his committee, Warner said he believes the United States may have to reevaluate its approach in Iraq if the situation does not improve dramatically over the next several months.

"I assure you, in two or three months, if this thing hasn't come to fruition and if this level of violence is not under control and this government able to function, I think it's a responsibility of our government internally to determine: Is there a change of course that we should take?" Warner said. "And I wouldn't take off the table any option at this time."

As Charlie Cook notes in his new National Journal column this morning, the bad political environment for Republicans -- the same environment that makes the Foley scandal so much more politically devastating -- was set by a profound shift in public opinion over Iraq.

There is no question that the Foley scandal, including indications that GOP congressional leaders did little or nothing to address the six-term lawmaker's inappropriate behavior, is a problem for Republicans. But in the larger scheme of things, the fact that this election is becoming a referendum on the war in Iraq is the real nightmare for the Republican Party.

Warner's remarks will reverberate. We bet the Virginia press corps is right now asking whether Sen. George Allen agrees with Warner...
The Hotline

They read my mind