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For threatening to derail the president’s new Iraq plan before it has been given a chance to succeed.

While none of the choices in Iraq are good, Democrats’ alternatives hinge on quitting or releasing a withdrawal timetable, which are both morally indefensible.

Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) and Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) are wrong in their calls to cut off funding for the proposed surge of U.S. troops.

Edwards’ assertion that an immediate withdrawal of 40,000 to 50,000 U.S. troops would help bring an end to sectarian violence and allow reconstruction to take hold is dangerous naiveté. Murtha’s statement that “staying in Iraq is not an option” is untrue.

To stand any chance of success, the commander in chief can’t run this war with his hands tied, as the Democrats would have Bush. Alone as he is, the president is right to take the high road and not abandon Iraq to its fate.

Congress should be prepared to act by tightening the purse strings down the road if there is no evidence of the plan working. But for now, it should recognize there is much America can still achieve in Iraq and that this plan is our best bet.