At least now the white flaggers on Capitol Hill will have to look the Iraquis in the eye and tell them we’re sacrificing them to the terrorists:

WASHINGTON - Worried Congress’ support for Iraq is deteriorating rapidly, Baghdad dispatched senior officials to Capitol Hill this week to warn members one-on-one that pulling out U.S. troops would have disastrous consequences.

For those who say the Iraq war had or has nothing to do with terrorism, that’s not the view of the guy trying to run the country:

With the clock ticking, Saleh — a Kurdish politician highly regarded by U.S. officials and who speaks impeccable English — said he came to Capitol Hill to convey the “imperative of success” in Iraq.

“Iraq is a central battleground in this historic conflict” against terrorism, he said in a brief interview after meeting with Reid, the Senate majority leader.

At least Iraqi leadership is finally taking some initiative.

Of course, some Democrats used the meetings to explain their decision to surrender:

Reid’s spokesman Jim Manley said the senator told Saleh that “U.S. patience, blood and treasure were not unlimited and that the Congress would be taking a more decisive role in the coming weeks and months.”

“Salih understood the point, and said he would deliver the message to the Iraqi cabinet,” Manley added.

(Note Hillary Clinton is quoted in this article, but on such a beautiful Friday, I didn’t have the stomach to deal with Her Emptiness. Wait until the cocktail hour, though.)