Harry "War is Lost" Reid Looking for Compromise

Looks like the MoveOn crowd may have another target as Sen. Harry Reid is abandoning his hard line "everybody out of Iraq now" stance:

LAS VEGAS -- Saying the coming weeks will be "one of the last opportunities" to alter the course of the war, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said he is now willing to compromise with Republicans to find ways to limit troop deployments in Iraq.

Reid acknowledged that his previous firm demand for a spring withdrawal deadline had become an obstacle for a small but growing number of Republicans who have said they want to end the war but have been unwilling to set a timeline.

"I don't think we have to think that our way is the only way," Reid said of specific dates during an interview in his office here. "I'm not saying, 'Republicans, do what we want to do.' Just give me something that you think you would like to do, that accomplishes some or all of what I want to do."

Reid's unwavering stance this summer earned him critics who said he was playing politics by refusing to bargain with antiwar Republicans. In the interview, he said that his goal remains an immediate return of U.S. troops but that now is the time to work with the GOP. He cited bringing up legislation after Labor Day that would require troops to have more home leave, forcing military leaders to reduce troop levels, a measure that has drawn some Republican support.

Reid has gotten absolutely clobbered on this issue and is desperate for a victory - a victory, that is, anywhere but in Iraq. He wants some sort of legislation - any sort - that will reduce the troop count by any number so he can claim a win. Unfortunately for the Nevada Senator, things on the ground in Iraq are improving and those antiwar Republicans he's counting on may not be quite so willing to help him with a cut-and-run strategy. Reid has badly misplayed this since the beginning, and his late attempt at compromise is not likely to succeed.