So, UT, what do you think of the Iraq big picture now?

[Chewbaccus]

Now, whenever I hear the "I toured, I saw good stuff, we're doing okay" reports, I can't help but wonder what the tours are like. Do they actually let the Congressionals walk around wherever they want - the slums and such included? And if they do, how much security is around them? Enough to obscure the bad parts? I don't know what they saw, so I can't make a judgement on whether or not to believe them.

This guy also has another liability - reelection threat:

"[Marshall]...was elected last fall by defeating Republican Calder Clay III in a race too close to call on election night. Final figures showed Marshall won by 1,516 votes or 1 percent.

Clay, who plans to challenge Marshall for the seat next year, declined to comment specifically on Marshall's media appearances.

"If Jim Marshall is trying to pretend to be conservative, I think people know he's not as conservative as I am. I look forward to the debate," Clay said."

Warch hit on it. A southern Congressman who barely squirted onto the Hill two years ago, facing a challenge from the same person he barely beat, and he's hitting every major media outlet - conservative and liberal - with his "We're all good" message. I have trouble believing this guy.