Yesterday on Fox News Sunday, Weekly Standard editor Fred Barnes excitedly discussed how new Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) may block the new congressional leadership from pursuing its objectives. “There was really an important thing that Mitch McConnell said,” Barnes explained, which was that “the minority can guarantee not much is done.”

Barnes claimed that he has “talked to [McConnell] many times, and he’s the great master of the filibuster, among other things.” Barnes also said that President Bush “has great tools” like “the veto, executive orders, recess appointments and so on” to block congressional efforts.

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What a difference new leadership makes. During the last Congress, when Barnes’ conservative allies were in power, tools like the filibuster were described as legislative “rage,” a sign of “ruthless” politics. Here’s Barnes on 2/7/05:

Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle…was plainly obsessed with obstructing Bush at every turn. … The real lesson, of course, is that blatant obstructionism is a failed strategy. It’s what caused Daschle to lose his seat. [...]

Stronger countermeasures will be needed, including an unequivocal White House response to obstructionism, curbs on filibusters, and a clear delineation of what’s permissible and what’s out of bounds in dissent on Iraq.

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“major embarassment.”

Ed. note — correction appended below the fold:

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is the most prominent advocate of escalating the war in Iraq. Yet, as some have noted, his “straight talk” on the issue has been extremely muddled.

Below, a timeline of McCain’s multiple positions on escalation:

October 27, 2006 — McCain Calls For 20,000 More Troops in Iraq:

Reporters asked him to elaborate on his statement last week in Iowa that more combat troops are needed in Iraq to quell a “classic insurgency.”

“Another 20,000 troops in Iraq, but that means expanding the Army and the Marine Corps,” he said. [Link]

January 4, 2007 — McCain Calls For 30,000 More Troops In Iraq:

MCCAIN: I would advocate two additional combat brigades in Anbar province, four in Baghdad, with one in reserve. That’s around 30,000. [NBC, 1/4/07]

January 4, 2007 — McCain Suggests 20,000 Troop Escalation Is Too ‘Small’:

LAUER: The president seems to be settling on the 20,000 number. Is this a numbers game? Will 20,000 do the job, in your opinion?

SEN. MCCAIN: I’m not sure. … I have not seen the exact plan, so it’s hard for me to know. But to make it of a short duration and a small size would be the worst of all options to exercise, in my view. [NBC, 1/4/07]

January 5, 2007 — McCain Says He Is ‘Not Specific on Numbers’ About Troops in Iraq:

QUESTION: How many troops are you calling for in Iraq?

MCCAIN: We are not specific on numbers, we don’t have — we are talking about 3 or 4 combat brigades, in Baghdad, and one or two more in Anbar province. We are not that much detailed oriented. [AEI "Future of Iraq" Conference, 1/5/07]

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Correction: Read more

Insiders suggest “that Rove had a big hand in distancing Bush from the Iraq Study Group because he believed the bipartisan panel was too critical of current Iraq policy. Rove, aides say, believes that victory is still achievable and that Bush should pursue it as vigorously as he can.”

“President Bush plans to deliver his speech on ‘the new way forward’ in Iraq in primetime on Wednesday at 9:00 pm ET from the White House. The speech is expected to last approximately 25 minutes, according to the White House.”

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