War rhetoric is sophistry with serious consequences. These two notable pieces together unravel some of the rhetoric on both sides.

Steve Chapman traces a long history of shrewd Republican cut-and-running—from Korea and Vietnam to Lebanon, Somalia, and Kosovo. "It's terrible to lose a war. But as several Republican presidents could attest, it's even worse to persist in one you can't win."

Victor Davis Hanson says Democratic candidates who supported the war should fess' up that they weren't just duped by neo-cons and faulty intelligence—they wanted to take Saddam out, but changed their minds later when things got complicated.