Despite all the good news coming out of Iraq lately, it's perfectly clear that whatever happens there, CBS's Bob Schieffer isn't prepared to change his antiwar stripes any time soon.
In fact, as media outlet after media outlet - including even the liberal New York Times - admits that conditions in Iraq are improving, the host of "Face the Nation" wanted his viewers to know Sunday morning that he clearly is not willing to put down his white flag.
In fact, Schieffer's commentary is sure to make our troops putting their lives on the line for this country wonder why they are doing so (video available here):
The best advice I ever got on covering foreign policy was when someone said, "Don't ever make news of a cease fire the lead of a story about trouble in the Middle East," the lesson being events are always so fragile there that the cease fire would most likely be broken before the story made print or got on television.
That's why we shouldn't be rolling out the "Mission Accomplished" banner again in Iraq, at least not just yet.
Things have quieted down considerably. The additional troops the administration put into Iraq this year have made a difference, frankly more of a difference than I would have thought, and those troops deserve great credit.
But we must also keep our eye on the prize - or in this case, the continuing lack of one.
The whole idea of sending those troops in was to quiet things down so the factions within the Iraqi government could work out ways to share power and rule the country.
And so far, they haven't moved an inch.
Parliament took the summer off, and since its members got back, they have managed to do exactly nothing.
Until they do, until there is some progress in solving the problems that are the root cause of the violence, the turmoil may return once our troops leave.
So where do we go from there?
Immigration has dominated the recent presidential debates, and it is important to be sure, but Iraq is still the place where Americans are dying. We need to be hearing more about that.
Hearing MORE about that? Might that be because Schieffer understands that if the election next year ends up being about anything other than Iraq, the Democrats can't win?
You know, I never thought I'd say something like this, but even Katie Couric seems less liberally biased than Schieffer who CBS should really consider trading to MSNBC for a player to be named later.
