Ned Lamont gave his formal policy address on Iraq at Yale on Wednesday and Lieberman gave his at Fairfield University yesterday.

Lamont said what he has said before: The war need not have been fought. It was sold to us based on false premises and information. We need to set a date certain for withdrawal of our troops. Period.

Right or wrong, Lamont is clear and consistent.

Lamont also developed some context: He essayed the notion of building allies for a foreign policy and doing it across party lines. And he tried to explain why he thinks the country is actually less safe than on Sept 11, 2001. It was a sober speech, if nothing new.

What Joe said most recently, prior to Friday, was: We should get out of Iraq ASAP, but too soon would be a grave mistake. It's hard to elaborate on that because it makes no logical sense....

Any politician worth his salt should know what he thinks about Iraq, off the top of his head. And he should be willing and able to articulate it.

Rep. John Murtha, for example, needs no notes or talking points. He speaks his heart and mind because he knows his mind.

Any politician who can't do this has ceded all credibility. The war in Iraq is the issue of the moment. If you need more time, advice, and packaging to respond, you are not fit for election, or re-election.

posted by tparty at 12:56 PM