I’ve long thought that the anti-war left makes a mountain out of a moron when they bend over backwards to praise right-wing ideologues who now criticize the Iraq war. Still, it’s been a hoot to watch pro-war bloggers and pundits froth from one corner of the mouth and offer faint praise from the other as the list of conservative icons-turned-defectors grows longer and longer. The latest double-speak comes from Peter Wehner, deputy assistant to the president and director of the White House’s Office of Strategic Initiatives, in today’s Wall Street Journal where he takes on "Messrs. Buckley, Will and Fukuyama."

Cheerily repeating the administration’s line, Wehner writes that "In 2005, Iraq’s economy continued to recover and grow. Access to clean water and sewage-treatment facilities has increased. The Sunnis are now invested in the political process, which was not previously the case. The Iraqi security forces are far stronger than they were." Is this the same Iraq that the NYT described Sunday in its lead article?

Meanwhile, for those who take faith in such signs, Bill Buckley’s latest critique is reported by Bloomberg news. Charles Krauthammer’s latest slap-down of "ex-neo con Fukuyama" is here. And over at townhall.com George Will tries to "face facts."