On the heels of Sen. Reid's support for a short-term surge in U.S. forces in Iraq, Sen. Clinton said this morning that she could support a surge if it’s tied to a different strategy.

I am not in favor of doing that unless it's part of a larger plan…. I am not in favor of sending more troops to continue what our men and women have been told to do with the government of Iraq pulling the rug out from under them when they actually go after some of the bad guys.

To her credit, Clinton could have easily said “no surge” under any circumstances. She may in the end oppose a troop increase. But, if some reports are accurate, she may have to explain her opposition in the face of a new military strategy in Iraq – a new strategy endorsed and implemented by generals never happy with the old strategy employed by Sec. Rumsfeld and others.

Democratic primary voters want out of Iraq soon. So in the next few weeks the presidential hopeful will again be walking a tightrope between primary politics and projecting a Thatcher-like image of resolve in time of crisis.