Voinovich Gets It By: Mark W Adams

Maybe it comes from leading one of America's most poverty-stricken cities, but the former mayor of Cleveland, Ohio has again shown that he's not a monolithic party-line ideologue. Maybe George Voinovich is the embodiment of what a "compassionate conservative" is supposed to look like, not just the marionette the hard right foisted on the rest of us with a wink and a nod when they stole the White House.

Last night, The News Hour spotlighted his take on Iraq as he questioned General Petreaus and Ambassador Crocker.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Republican George Voinovich of Ohio showed the frustration in the president's own political party.

SEN. GEORGE VOINOVICH (R), Ohio: Condoleezza Rice should get together with you guys and she should work day in and day out to let them know, "Folks, we're on our way out." And I just wonder: Do you understand that, that that's where we're at?

We have somebody sitting across the table here, maybe the next president of the United States. And the American people have had it up to here.

And, you know, we appreciate the sacrifice that you've made and your families have made. Lives have changed forever. But the truth of the matter is -- and I'm sure your guys and women understand it.

Do you know something? We haven't sacrificed one darn bit in this war, not one, never been asked to pay for a dime, except for the people we lost.

And I'd like to know: What do you think about the idea of really coming up with a surge during this next 10 months and let them know, you know, it's going to be over here, folks, and you'd better get at it?

Voinovich was getting at the idea, the very progressive, liberal, moonbat, surrender-monkey idea that the politicians here and in Baghdad haven't done anything, that there is no military solution and the military have done every damn thing we asked them to do, that enough is enough, that we're bankrupting this country, that keeping with a failed policy promises only more failure, that the gentleman sitting across the table, Barack Obama, isn't going to let this insanity continue, that the GOP is going down the toilet and flushing even sane conservatives like Voinovich down with the neocons and Bush apologists.

Every once in a while, this guy makes me proud to have him as my Senator, even if he's in the wrong party. He's going to piss me off again when he gets out and campaigns for "Ace" McSame, which only proves he's a normal two-faced politician. But once in a while he at least shows his heart is in the right place.