No Middle Ground  —  The Iraq Study Group calls its prescription "responsible transition;" there's nothing responsible about it.  —  Given the specific lineup of the 10 wise men and women serving on the Iraq Study Group, the most conspicuous absence is that of supermodel Heidi Klum.

Feingold Cuts Through The ISG Hype on Countdown  —  Keith Olbermann had Russ Feingold on to give his assessment of the now very famous Iraq Study Group report.  —  Video - WMV Video -QT  —  Feingold said what I have felt all day.  This report does not give us a clear path in Iraq and leaves the future of the war up in the air.

Threats Wrapped in Misunderstandings  —  The Iraq Study Group's prescriptions hinge on a fragile Iraqi government's ability to achieve national reconciliation and security at a time when the country is fractured along sectarian lines, its security forces are ineffective and competing visions threaten …

Baker panel's mention of Palestinian "right of return" raises eyebrows  —  A reference to Palestinians' "right of return" in the report issued by the high-level Iraq Study Group broke a diplomatic taboo which sparked immediate concern in Israel and surprise among Middle East policy experts.

Enter the Grown-Up  —  ROBERT GATES' IMPRESSIVE—AND REASSURING—CONFIRMATION HEARINGS.  —  The most eyebrow-raising moment—of many such moments—in Robert Gates' confirmation hearings today came when Sen. Robert Byrd, the stentorian Democrat of West Virginia, asked if he favored attacking Iran.

The Realists' Repudiation Of Policies for a War, Region  —  The Iraq Study Group report released yesterday might well be titled "The Realist Manifesto."  —  From the very first page, in which co-chairmen James A. Baker III and Lee H. Hamilton scold that "our leaders must be candid and forthright …