Our media has given up their air time to all the war supporters this month including a huge chunk to Brian Baird. He's been mentioned in almost every segment on the upcoming Petraeus White House report. However, Rep. Jan Schakowsky went to Iraq and came away with a much different response:

The lack of political progress among Iraq’s rival factions and Petraeus’s estimate of the time needed to stabilize the nation left Schakowsky all the more convinced that Democrats must force Bush to begin bringing troops home.

But the military presentations left her stunned. Schakowsky said she jotted down Petraeus’s words in a small white notebook she had brought along to record her impressions. Her neat, looping handwriting filled page after page, and she flipped through to find the Petraeus section. ” ‘We will be in Iraq in some way for nine to 10 years,’ ” Schakowsky read carefully. She had added her own translation: “Keep the train running for a few months, and then stretch it out. Just enough progress to justify more time.”

“I felt that was a stretch and really part of a PR strategy — just like the PR strategy that initially led up to the war in the first place,” Schakowsky said.

Pachacutec asks: "Anyone want to guess how many CNN and talking head appearances Rep. Schakowsky will get over the next week?"

My answer: None! I call out the media to book her on your shows this week if you have any decency. Our Democratic leaders have been missing in action during August which has given the White House a chance to roll out their PR machine very effectively and that's troubling. Please:

"Go give Darcy $5, please, to combat the zombie stupid permeating the DC water supply."

We're trying to raise her some Bush cash....As Duncan says, “Consider the fun if the headline in the Seattle Times on Monday is ‘Burner Raises $100K On Bush Visit to Rival Reichert.’”