Why the hell is Condoleezza Rice giving separate briefings on Iraq to Republicans and Democrats in Congress? Gosh, do you think the administration might be politicizing the war? AP reports:

National security adviser Condoleezza Rice made a rare visit to Capitol Hill on Thursday, answering "question after question after question" about the troubled Iraq campaign, one lawmaker said of the closed-door session.

Rice fielded questions from Republicans for more than an hour and was to meet later in the day with Democrats....

What was the purposae of the separate briefing for Republicans? To send the message that Democrats aren't Americans? Or was it just to go over campaign talking points?

Those who met with her in the morning Republican session said it was upbeat.

"From my perspective, she gave a very upbeat report on how things are going there and the progress that's being made," said Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.

"She answered question after question after question," said Rep. Deborah Pryce of Ohio. "We're on the right page and we're standing fully behind her."

On NPR just now, I heard a Republican congresswoman who attended that meeting praising Rice for her "steadfast resolve" -- and stumbling over the phrase, as if she'd been told to memorize it and repeat it for whoever subsequently interviewed her.