There's a simple point behind the 100 years furor -- or perhaps I should say the 100 years GOP apoplexy. Now it's McCain and the Republicans who are adding words like 'fight' and 'war' and the like, which the ad does not use. But what's really driving them nuts is that all you really have to do is line up three words, or two words and a phrase. "Iraq" + "Stay" + "100 years". As Hillel might have said, all the rest is commentary. And as most voters would say, none of it really matters.

He said it. And more importantly, he means it. As Hertzberg aptly put it, "McCain wants to stay in Iraq until no more Americans are getting killed, no matter how long it takes and how many Americans get killed achieving that goal--that is, the goal of not getting any more Americans killed. And once that goal is achieved, we'll stay."