Justin Logan's short but provocative article in The American Prospect, "Mind the Gap," merits a read by Democrats searching for a credible Iraq policy that can produce victories in November and '08. The subtitle succinctly captures the gist of his argument: "Democratic voters have unambiguously repudiated the Bush doctrine. The same can't be said for Democratic foreign policy elites." Logan makes a compelling case that the party's hawkish opinion leaders defending long range occupation of Iraq have lost touch with an increasingly war-weary rank and file. There is ample evidence in recent opinion polls to back Logan's claim, and he offers the following:

A recent CNN/New York Times poll showed 61 percent of Americans want to cut and run, with just 34 percent now supporting a “stay and die” policy.

As Logan says, "...sometimes it’s better to back away from the blackjack table instead of taking out a second mortgage to double down after a losing run."