Minnesota GOP Congressman Gil Gutknecht has just said it's time to start pulling out of Iraq. Has any other Republican member of Congress said this? As best as I can determine, not in the stark terms Gutknecht has now used.

What makes Gutknecht's assertion particularly interesting is that he's facing a potential challenge from Tim Walz, a Dem who's critical of President Bush on Iraq but also boasts 24 years in the National Guard.

From today's South Minnesota Free Press:

Congressman Gil Gutknecht found the situation in Iraq more bleak than he anticipated during a weekend visit to the war zone, and said a partial withdrawal of some American troops might be wise.

Gutknecht, a strong supporter of the war since it began in March of 2003, told reporters in a telephone conference call Tuesday that American forces appear to have no operational control of much of Baghdad.

“The condition there is worse than I expected,” he said. “... I have to be perfectly candid: Baghdad is a serious problem.”...

“What I think we need to do more is withdraw more Americans,” he said.

Gutknecht's grim assessment is particularly compelling given the fact that back in June he was a tad more optimistic about Iraq. At the time, he was widely quoted saying this:

"Members, now is not the time to go wobbly. Let’s give victory a chance.”

Well, it looks as if Gutknecht's suddenly going wobbly himself. Or maybe he's just being more realistic.

Gutknecht's assessment of the situation was indeed grim. And that's not all: He also basically accused the Pentagon of cooking the facts about Iraq:

Gutknecht was in Iraq from Saturday morning until late Sunday afternoon. His time in the country’s capital city was spent almost exclusively within the Green Zone, an area of central Baghdad that is heavily fortified and where all access is controlled by check-points.

“We learned it’s not safe to go anywhere outside of the Green Zone any part of the day,” he said...

Gutknecht’s sobering report contrasts with many of his fellow conservative supporters of the war. The Republican National Committee sends out weekly e-mails to the media called “Iraq Facts” that paint a picture of steady progress toward stability and Iraqi self-governance....

Gutknecht was critical of some of the “spin” from Bush administration officials in the Pentagon and the State Department. He specifically pointed to past statements that a few hundred insurgents were causing the violence in the Iraq. Military officials say they’ve captured 10,000 even as the insurgency continues unabated.

“That’s a far cry from what we were told originally,” he said. “... All of the information we receive sometimes from the Pentagon and the State Department isn’t always true.”

A quick question, for the grand prize of an Election Central martini glass: Which winger commentator will be the first to smear Gutknecht?