Hugh treads a mighty fine line with this statement saying that GOP Senators opposing Bush's plan to surge troops have "joined" with "the appeasement party in the U.S." I doubt Norm Coleman or Sam Brownback will take very kindly to Hugh's construction.

We've really come to a point where Iraq is such a conundrum that contradictions abound on all sides. John Derbyshire (via Sullivan) succinctly pointed out the contradictions in Bush's plan. And Democrats clearly face contradictions as well trying to argue that we're stuck in the middle of a civil war in Iraq but that the situation will somehow improve without the presence of U.S. trooops. And even those who understand the stakes of the war but don't support the surge, like Senator Coleman, face a contradiction in arguing that staying the course is going to improve the situation.