Republican lawmakers are finding it impossible to continue lying to Americans about Iraq.

Rep. Gil Gutknecht, R-Minn., once a strong supporter of the war, returned from Iraq this week declaring that conditions in Baghdad were far worse "than we'd been led to believe," and urging that troop withdrawals begin immediately.

Other Republican lawmakers acknowledge that it is no longer tenable to say the news media is ignoring the good news in Iraq and painting an unfair picture of the war. About 4,338 Iraqi civilians died violent deaths during the first six months of 2006, according to a new report by the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq. Last month alone, 3,149 civilians were killed -- an average of more than 100 a day.

"It's like after (Hurricane) Katrina, when the secretary of Homeland Security was saying all those people weren't really stranded (at the New Orleans civic center) when we were all watching it on TV," said Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C. "I still hear about that. We can't look like we won't face reality."

"Essentially, what the White House is saying is, 'Stay the course, stay the course,' " Gutknecht said. "I don't think that course is politically sustainable."

Rep. Jim Gerlach of Pennsylvania, a swing-district Republican facing a tough re-election race, has introduced legislation to create clear measurements of progress in Iraq, from territory under the control of Iraqi forces to government stability.

"Congress needs to be more proactive and aggressive in evaluating what is the progress in Iraq," he said. "The Iraqi government shouldn't feel like it's got a blank check on American lives and American dollars."

Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., meanwhile, is using his House Government Reform subcommittee on national security to vent criticism of the White House's war strategy and new estimates of the monetary cost of war.

I could listen to this fat lady sing all night long. Finally the Republicans are owning up to the fact that this war is a catastrophe. I don't care if they saying this for political reasons or not, I just love hearing them say it.

I have said for quite some time that with the Democrats so powerless in Washington, it would take the Republicans to make any real change in policy over in Iraq. And here they are.

Aren't they beautiful? Now let's hold them to it and welcome any other Republicans that can turn away form the back of the cave to join us in our "reality based" understanding of the war in Iraq.

Of course I still support voting everyone of these slow learning bastards out, but until we do let's give them mad props for seeing the obvious. Good going guys!