Friedman won't wait another Friedman

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Sullivan:
As pro-Hezbollah rallies overwhelm parts of Baghdad, two of the most influential centrist columnists in America just essentially gave up on Iraq. Tom Friedman (TimesDelete) wants one last chance for an Iraqi national conference, then withdrawal; David Broder thinks it's time to cut our losses.
Thomas Friedman has repeatedly asked for patience with the Iraq occupation, to the extent that many lefty bloggers have taken to calling the period of six months a "Friedman". The fact that he's switching stances is big news. Here are some of Thomas Friedman's words, laboriously banged out by yours truly (I'll do this for a while, but eventually the NYT is going to consign itself to irrelevancy if it doesn't allow better access to its opinion):
But the administration now has to admit what anyone -- including myself -- who believed in the importance of getting Iraq right has to admit: Whether for Bush reasons or Arab reasons, it is not happening, and we can't throw more good lives after good lives.
His "Plan B" idea is for one last regional Dayton-style peace conference. (Will the FDA drag its feet in approving it for over-the-counter sale?) I'm skeptical that such a conference would produce a positive outcome, but there's certainly no harm in trying. There is a lot of harm in doing what the administration is currently doing, and it is even less likely to have a positive outcome.

Welcome to reality, Mr. Friedman. Your obstinancy contributed to a lot of suffering and death, but I'm glad we appear to be living in the same universe now. If only Rumsfeld would join us in reality land.

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