McCain speeds up his race to the bottom

At this point it's just embarrassing. After being one of a very, very small number of Americans who believed that the "surge" could work and supported it fully, he quickly gave himself an out by saying he thought it would only succeed if the plan were more ambitious than the president's. That's remarkably convenient for such a 'maverick.' But not good enough, apparently.

"The goal is to try to salvage this situation and not send the additional troops with a message of disapproval," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., of the GOP meetings.

McCain told reporters Thursday he is interested in drafting a resolution that would establish benchmarks by which the U.S. could measure the effectiveness of the troop increase.

Such a resolution could have broad appeal among Republicans who want to avoid attacking the president but are concerned about sending additional troops to Iraq without an exit strategy.

Pretty much. It's good to see the press pointing out the painfully obvious after six years of complete timidity. And to actually see them doing something besides peddle the line that McCain is a bold loner.