A conservative looks at "the surge"

Conservative writer Robert Novak is pessimistic about Bush's new Iraq strategy, due to reports that the Maliki government is not committed to cracking down on sectarian violence in Baghdad.

But to me, the most striking thing about the article (prominently linked from the National Review website) is its partisan emphasis, seeming to assess the entire issue on the basis of its impact on the interests of the Republican party rather than on those of the United States (or of our troops). "Republicans can only hope that Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her sidekick, Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, overplay their hands by cutting off funds to U.S. troops in the field." Hope?