In the world of professional punditry, heavy-hitters like David Broder and Tom Friedman not only help reflect the conventional wisdom, they help shape it. The mainstream political world considers their opinions as the most serious and credible perspectives in the country, and in turn, their points of view become synonymous with sensibility.

And right now, both want out of Iraq. Yesterday, Broder, the "dean" of DC's political reporters, strongly suggested the need to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, arguing that the "logic of prolonging the agony" can no longer withstand scrutiny.

Today, Tom Friedman, whose name has become synonymous with an overly-patient approach to the war, is finally fed up as well.

"It is now obvious that we are not midwifing democracy in Iraq. We are baby-sitting a civil war," Friedman writes, adding, "The longer we maintain a unilateral failing strategy in Iraq, the harder it will be to build such a coalition, and the stronger the enemies of freedom will become."

Welcome to the new sensible, centrist position on Iraq. The political mainstream has finally caught up with the Democratic mainstream. It's about time.

--Guest Post by Steve Benen, The Carpetbagger Report