Democrats have so heavily invested themselves in a policy of defeat that recent news out of Iraq has them feeling sort of like a bank robber who peeked at his pile of money just as the dye-pack exploded.  Progress in Iraq means trouble for Democrats,  and they're keenly aware of that fact.  Accordingly, their leadership is - despite the fact that many of the membership have acknowledged that the "surge" has been achieving success - assembling a set of so-called "talking points" that are designed to belittle any supposed successes.  It appears that they intend to "extend and embrace" their politics of defeatism, in the fervent hope that they can sell the package to the American voters.

"Limited military success", they argue, "doesn't mean that the surge has worked".  Pelosi claims that  "The American people have already judged the president's war in Iraq as the wrong war at the wrong time, and are ready for our troops to come home." 

You kind of have to wonder if Nancy's aware of the fact that her Democrat-led Congress has approval ratings that hover around ten points below that of President Bush.  If Bush is a chimp, then what are Pelosi and Reid?