SATURDAY ROUNDUP

by Chris Good - 07/26/08 5:50 PM ET

John McCain ceded major ground to Barack Obama in the Iraq debate by saying Obama’s withdrawal timetable looks “pretty good,” bloggers agree, while the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) has others crying foul for banning Iraqi athletes this week from competing in the upcoming games.

McCain has admitted he’s wrong on Iraq by acknowledging that Obama’s timetable looks good depending on security conditions, MyDD’s Josh Orton decides. Opposing a withdrawal timetable was McCain’s signature stance on Iraq, and after yesterday’s statement on CNN, he can no longer argue that he stands for victory while Obama stands for giving up, Orton says. And McCain has relinquished his chance to hammer Obama on the timeline in the future, as the public will eventually realize a 16-month withdrawal is not actually feasible, Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey argues from the right.

The IOC has let bureaucratic squabbling interfere with a chance for Iraqis to unite behind their Olympic athletes, The Plank’s Josh Patashnik writes. The IOC’s decision, which stemmed from the dissolution of Iraq’s Olympic committee by the Iraqi government, is hypocritical as Iraqi athletes were allowed to compete under the torture-ridden leadership of Uday Hussein, Patashnik argues. House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.), who called the decision “outrageous,” earns appreciation from The Corner’s Kathryn Jean Lopez for speaking out.

And the House Judiciary Committee held a kangaroo court Friday when it heard testimony on the pros and cons of impeaching President Bush, RedState’s Pejman Yousefzadeh charges. The hearing showed that the committee’s Democrats are out of touch with Americans’ concerns, as the rest of the country doesn’t agree with House Democrats demonization of Bush, Yousefzadeh claims.

FROM THE BLOGS:
The Impugnment Hearings – Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
The Naivete of Barack Obama– Carol Platt Liebau, Townhall.com
Cleanup, Aisle Four… – Josh Orton, MyDD
Because Whining Is So Presidential – SusanG, Daily Kos
Pelosi’s Bizarro-World of Ethics – Teddy Partridge, Firedoglake
Partners in the New McCarthyism – Big Tent Democrat, TalkLeft
Don’t Let Them Fake It – John Hinderaker, Power Line
Go, Hoekstra! – Kathryn Jean Lopez, The Corner
Congress’s Kangaroo Court – Pejman Yousefzadeh, RedState
For Once, GOP on Leading Edge of the Tech Curve – Marc Ambinder