"Flawed policy wrapped in illusion" Republican implosion continues.

Rep. John Murtha, D-PA, isn't exactly a flaming peace-nik. His bio states,

Congressman Murtha is so well-respected for his first-hand knowledge of military and defense issues that he has been a trusted adviser to presidents of both parties on military and defense issues and is one of the most effective advocates for the national defense in the country. He is ranking member and former chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, a Vietnam combat veteran and a retired Marine Corps colonel with 37 years of service, a 30 year Marine veteran and strong military supporter

Yet he's just spoken out and called for a phased withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq beginning immediately, noting that the quagmire is "a flawed policy wrapped in illusion", noting that the American public is way out in front of congress on this issue.

The story is just breaking and no published accounts as yet. Wasington Post account here.

Meanwhile, Cheney is out on the stump blasting Democrats and saying that even suggesting they have mislead the country on pre-war intelligence is reprehensible. Hmmm. We'll see, Dick.

Total war is breaking out on this war. It's unfortunate, but the Dems have waited all these years until the polls showed some support before finally getting up on their hind legs and speaking out. These developments are a very belated, though welcome, development.

But a MAJOR battle is looming as the Dems take off the gloves and the Bushies, already backed against the ropes, desperately fight for survival. It's going to be wild.

The group of D.C. media elites who have become so wealthy and associated with this administration to the point where it's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins, have long put out the White House line, and acted as though asking tough questions or being critical of anything the Republicans did was bad form. Now, even this cabal is in disaray as they run for cover.

People have long dispaired that anything would change or that this would be exposed, as the chances of the media investigating their own is slim and none. But finally, they're getting caught up in Peter Fitzgerald's criminal investigation and all their lies and arrogance is slowly but surely being exposed.

The latest liar to be revealed is Bush court stenographer Bob Woodward, who long ago gave up what credibility he'd earned with his contribution to the Watergate investigation. It's now revealed that he was told that Valerie Plame was a CIA agent by a "top White House official" two years ago, much earlier than the information was supposedly disclosed by "Scooter" Libby. A spokesman for Rove has said that he is not the official named by Woodward.

Bob Woodward apologized to The Washington Post yesterday for failing to reveal for more than two years that a senior Bush administration official had told him about CIA operative Valerie Plame, even as an investigation of who disclosed her identity mushroomed into a national scandal.

Woodward, an assistant managing editor and best-selling author, said he told Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr. that he held back the information because he was worried about being subpoenaed by Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the special counsel leading the investigation.

The belated revelation that Woodward has been sitting on information about the Plame controversy reignited questions about his unique relationship with The Post while he writes books with unparalleled access to high-level officials, and about why Woodward denigrated the Fitzgerald probe in television and radio interviews while not divulging his own involvement in the matter.

Big story in the Washinton Post here.