His Gift from the Wizard: A Spine!

Kentucky Representative Ken Lucas (the delegation's lone Democrat) is retiring from Congress after his current term ends, and it looks like he has decided to go out with a bang.

Lucas voted for the Iraq war resolution and consistently votes with Bush in Congress.

However, the tagline from the Cincinnati Enquirer accurately describes his recent outburst of dissent: Ken Lucas unleashes criticism of Bush

"I thought that the administration needed bipartisan support, and I was for our commander-in-chief," Lucas said. "Because I felt at that time it was the right thing do. If I knew then what I know now, I would have never voted for the war.

"There was no imminent danger about weapons of mass destruction," he said. "And the tune of the administration changed from that to ridding a country of a ruthless dictator."

The Bush administration also was not straightforward about the intelligence it had, releasing tenuous information that fit its goal of attacking Iraq, Lucas said.

"I feel deceived," he said.

"I don't think we have a good plan for an exit strategy," Lucas said. "I think it was handled poorly as far as not bringing in other countries."

At the end of October, I quoted Kansas House member Pat Roberts (chair of the intelligence committee reviewing the evidence) saying that many members of Congress regretted their vote.

Lucas, by the way, did vote against the prescription drug benefit and described the real beneficiaries as the drug companies.