James A. Baker III doesn't think we're winning.

What a defeatist, unserious terror-lover.

James A. Baker III, the Republican co-chairman of a bipartisan panel reassessing Iraq strategy for President Bush, said Sunday that he expected the panel would depart from Mr. Bush’s repeated calls to “stay the course,” and he strongly suggested that the White House enter direct talks with countries it had so far kept at arm’s length, including Iran and Syria.

...

“It’s got to be hard-nosed, it’s got to be determined,” Mr. Baker said. “You don’t give away anything, but in my view, it’s not appeasement to talk to your enemies.”

Pffffffft. Chamberlain. Heh.

“I think it’s fair to say our commission believes that there are alternatives between the stated alternatives, the ones that are out there in the political debate, of ‘stay the course’ and ‘cut and run,’ ” Mr. Baker said.

Seeing as how it's only Republicans (and Putz) that have been stating those as the alternatives for three years, you should probably say this to Karl Rove, James, who coined both phrases.

On Sunday, on “This Week,” Mr. Baker was shown a video of the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator John W. Warner of Virginia, who said last week that Iraq was “drifting sideways” and urged consideration of a “change of course” if the Iraqi government could not restore order in two or three months. The American ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, has offered a similar warning to the Iraqi government.

Asked if he agreed with that timetable, Mr. Baker said, “Yes, absolutely. And we’re taking a look at other alternatives.”

For crying out loud, why all this womanish handwringing? We're winning, aren't we Putz?