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Jake Tapper, ABC News' Senior National Correspondent, decides to vent:

Now today comes word fom Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, that two other Senate Republicans have told him they'll break with the White House Iraq strategy.

But here's the hook -- they won't do so until after the November elections.

"Two leading Republican Senators have come to me," Biden recalled, and said that after the election "the need to protect the president will be nonexistent" and Republicans will be freer to break with the White House and call for change in Iraq.

Assuming Biden's tale is correct, it will be interesting to see which Republicans wait until after November 7 to break ranks with the White House on Iraq.

I wonder how a Senator who opposes the current Iraq war policy -- but hasn't stated so publicly -- calculates how many lives it's acceptable to have killed pursuing that policy before stating his opposition to it ….for the sole purpose of protecting his political party in an election.

How do you do the math on that?

Holding the Senate is worth, say, 500 dead? One thousand? How many US troops? How many wounded?

How do you justify it in your head?

"Well, my opposition won't change much on the ground there in the short term, anyway"...?

"I oppose the policy, but I don’t want President Bush to get miffed at me for helping the Democrats sweep Connecticut"...?

God, sometimes it's hard to work in this town and not grow deeply cynical.

Here's a suggestion, Jake. One defense against cynicism, both for yourself and your audience, would be to work harder to separate the truth from the lies. Go find out who those two unnamed Republicans are. Name names. Allow truth to be your master, not politics.

Once upon a time, people in your position actually thought that was their job. And sure, although I can't guarantee that will protect you from your growing cynicism, I know it will certainly do wonders for mine.