HERE COMES THE PIVOT!

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) promised primary voters a swift withdrawal from Iraq, in clear language still on his website: “Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months.”

Not anymore. Heading into the holiday weekend, Obama and his advisers repudiated that pledge, saying he is reevaluating his plan and will incorporate advice from commanders on the ground when he visits Iraq later this month.

A top Obama adviser said he is not “wedded” to a specific timeline, and Obama said Thursday he plans to “refine” his plan.

You could see this one coming. Hmm. With all these changes, Obama’s morphing into a candidate I could support!

UPDATE: Obama denies altering proposed Iraq withdrawal timeline.

But, at ABC, Obama’s Iraq Quagmire.

And John McGinnis emails: “You can wait for the Obama Pivot. I want to watch the Olbermann Squirm!”

Olbermann will praise Obama’s “manly firmness” in deciding to keep troops in Iraq.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Ann Althouse: “This is what I was expecting. Weren’t you?”

MORE: A clarification. This should resolve all doubt.

And TigerHawk asks the eternal question.

STILL MORE: Remembering Samantha Power.