Democratic congressional hopeful Diane Farrell believes that Iraq will be the prominent issue for the voters of Connecticut’s 4^th district as she attempts to unseat the incumbent Christopher Shays-R.  Like many of his fellow congressmen that originally supported the war, Shays now finds himself in a difficult position as more and more of his constituents turn against a failed policy.  Shays’ predicament mirrors the dilemma faced by many republicans facing mid-term challenges.  How does one distance themselves from an increasingly unpopular war, without risking the support of the republican base and the party’s Washington leadership?  The answer appears to be a mad scramble to the “center” of the Iraq issue.   A reliably moderate republican, Shays recently returned from his fourteenth trip to Iraq, and announced that he now supports a timetable for the withdrawal of US forces, sending reverberations across the political landscape.   All of this begs the question whether Mr. Shays change of heart has more to do with politics than principle.