More recently, Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, soon to chair the powerful Armed Services Committee, said that, "We cannot save the Iraqis from themselves," and that it's time for a "phased redeployment."
And at a recent White House reception, incoming Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia had one message for President Bush: He wants the troops (including Webb's son, a Marine serving there) out of Iraq.
Those comments are all part of our internal political debate. But they're also being broadcast around the world on CNN International.
Assuming the Shia in Iraq have been watching, they have good reason to doubt we'll be there for them.
That level of doubt has prevented us so far from bringing in some countries that ought to be natural allies in the War on Terror.
India, for example.
It's much closer to the Middle East then the United States, and has a traditional rivalry with Muslim Pakistan.
Plus, India's growing economy will need plenty of oil from the Persian Gulf in the coming decades — regional instability isn't in its best interest.
Yet we don't hear much about India's contributions to the War on Terror. That needs to change if we want to win.
On the other side of the ledger, countries that should be cowering seem instead to be getting cocky.
Just a year and a half ago, President Bush insisted that Syria withdraw from Lebanon, and Bashar Assad did so. He seemed to believe he might be the next regional dictator removed by American arms.
Instead, Lebanon's Cedar Revolution seems to have been put into the closet.
Last week, anti-Syrian political leader Pierre Gemayel was assassinated, a sign that Syria may be about to reassert its authority in Lebanon.
It's not likely Syria will ever pay any price, though.
Another leak to The New York Times (more work for Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald?) indicates that the Iraq Study Group, charged with finding a new American approach to Iraq, will recommend direct talks with Iran and Syria.
There may well be a perception, in Iraq and in Lebanon, that it's more dangerous to be allied with the United States than to oppose it. No wonder other potential allies are sitting on the sidelines, awaiting our next move.
The United States needs all the support it can get. That includes an Iraq that is an ally in the War on Terror, rather than an adversary.
Hadley's memo shows we're asking the right question: How do we get there? It's up to us to come up with the right answer. The future depends on it.