Congressman Brian Baird who voted against the liberation of Iraq:

"But we're on the ground now. We have a responsibility to the Iraqi people and a strategic interest in making this work."
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Baird, a five-term Democrat, voted against President Bush ordering the Iraq invasion — at a time when he was in a minority in Congress and at risk of alienating voters. He returned late Tuesday from a trip that included stops in Israel, Jordan and Iraq, where he met troops, U.S. advisers and Iraqis, whose stories have convinced him that U.S. troops must stay longer.

With Congress poised next month to look at U.S. progress in Iraq and a vote looming on U.S. funding for the war, Baird said he's inclined to seek a continued U.S. presence in Iraq beyond what many impatient Americans want. He also expects Gen. David Petraeus, who oversees U.S. troops in Iraq, to seek a redeployment of forces. "People may be upset. I wish I didn't have to say this," Baird said. He added that the United States needs to continue with its military troops surge "at least into early next year, then engage in a gradual redeployment. … I know it's going to cost hundreds of American lives and hundreds of billions of dollars."

Democratic Senator Carl Levin on the troop surge and its effectiveness:

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin says he saw “credible and positive results” from the surge of troops in Iraq ordered by President George W. Bush but remains skeptical about whether military successes will lead to political resolutions in that war-torn country.

Levin, a Detroit Democrat who spent two days in Iraq with Virginia Sen. John Warner, said visits to bases in Mosul and Baghdad showed that the military aspects of the surge policy have shown progress in reducing violence and giving political leaders time to reconcile between divergent factions.

"We are also encouraged by continuing positive results – in al Anbar Province, from the recent decisions of some of the Sunni tribes to turn against al Qaeda and cooperate with coalition force efforts to kill or capture its adherents,” Levin and Warner said today in a joint statement.

Leaders in the Democratic party making these kinds of confessions are not going to make life easy for the Democratic Party presidential candidate come this fall. Look for a coordinated effort by the left to discredit Gen. Petraeus, if the GOP is smart they will begin filing away these video clips and soundbytes in advance to hold the Democrats accountable.

In the end I fully expect Levin, Baird and others to cave to the more powerful voices in their party - like Clinton, Obama, and Edwards. But for now its refreshing to see what real life experience combined with honest confessions are revealing about the effectiveness of the General's plan and what it IS accomplishing.