In case you missed it (it wasn't mentioned in today's Knoxville News Sentinel), eleven Congressional Republicans went to the White House and told Bush and other top administration officials that he will no longer have the support of the GOP if the war goes on much longer.

Pundits are comparing the rather historic confrontation to Goldwater's famous meeting with Nixon that ended his presidency.

House Republican leader John Boehner attended the meeting, which was organized by Rep. Charles Dent of Pennsylvania and Rep. Mark Kirk of Illinois representing a group of moderate Republicans.

In what was described as a "remarkably candid" and "blunt" meeting, Bush was told that the no longer has any credibility on the war, and that it is time for "candor" and "honesty." Here is the NBC News video report by Tim Russert.

Bush acknowledged that the war is causing political problems for the GOP and expressed concerns about upcoming elections.

One would think he heard that message loud and clear in Nov. 2006, but his actions since suggest otherwise. Pressure from Democrats in the new Congress, along with some Republicans who are wising up, seems to finally be working. This could be the beginning of the end, especially if Democrats can put together a veto-proof coalition.

What's frustrating is that it has to come down to politics. The fact that we were led to war based on a pack of lies, that we have damaged our reputation around the world, that we have seriously weakened our military, and that we have failed to shut down the terrorist network that attacked us are all irrelevant. It's the number of "R" seats in Congress at stake and the threat of a "D" in the White House that gets Bush's attention.

Whatever it takes to end this thing is OK by a majority of Americans at this point. It's time to declare victory and bring our troops home.