Credit where it's due: Sen. Hillary Clinton seems to have it about as right on Iraq as any Democrat with national political ambitions can be expected to at this stage of the electoral cycle. Speaking from Baghdad as part of a high-profile "fact-finding" tour, Mrs. Clinton over the weekend expressed "cautious optimism" about Iraq's future — and firmly rejected any artificial deadline for U.S. troop withdrawals: "That just gives a green light to the insurgents and the terrorists, that if they can just wait us out they can basically have the country. It's not in our interests, given the sacrifices we've made." The logic is impeccable. Announcing a departure date before Iraq has been stabilized — however long that takes — makes moot the entire point of Operation Iraqi Freedom. One might just as well swing open Saddam's jail-cell door at the same time.
Then there's the politics. Mrs. Clinton is a prohibitive favorite for re-election next year — and a presumptive presidential candidate in 2008. The implications of her views for the latter effort are most interesting. Clearly, the senator seeks to orient herself toward the political center. (Folks who are offended by this needn't be; it's how politics is practiced in America.) Meanwhile, what are the odds that Mrs. Clinton would have said what she did if she thought there was any chance her words would come back to bite her? Zero. President Bush, in other words, just got an "attaboy" from an unlikely source. Moveon.org and the Angry wing of the Democratic Party no doubt will seek to make Mrs. Clinton pay for her candor — correct though she may be. When that day comes, more moderate Democrats should keep in mind what Mrs. Clinton said when it mattered — and apportion their support accordingly.