David Broder & Warren Spahn

I have been reluctant to join the David Broder lynching party. First of all, the guy obviously has lost a step or two and is in the twilight of a distinguished career. Second, I never thought that he was as important as he is given credit for, but that’s because "Dean of the Washington press corps" is about the same as "Dean of a Midwestern cow college" to me.

But I’ve been doing a slow boil over the WaPo op-ed columnist’s slam at Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for saying that the Iraq war is lost militarily (and comparing him to Attorney General Gonzalez).

Now I’m no fan of Reid, but the guy spoke a huge truth. The Iraq war simply cannot be won through blood and guts.

For Broder to get all pissy over something so obvious puts him well out of step with a majority of Americans and comfortably in the Bush administration’s back pocket, and the clearer-headed and less self righteous Broder of old would not want to be in that place.

One of my childhood heroes was Warren Spahn, a Hall of Fame pitcher for the Boston and Milwaukee Braves who like me was left handed and unlike me was incredibly consistent on the mound. Spahn pitched 21 years in the majors, but that was about five years beyond his prime because he didn't know when to quitt.

The same can be said of Broder, and he ought to think about putting down his quill pen before he embarrasses himself any more.