The United States has been waging war in Iraq for two and a half years, and Congress is just now deciding that it wants to provide some oversight. Thanks for waking up. But let’s hope the debate gets better than the ugly version we’re getting now. It’s as if last year’s Bush-Kerry race were still raging.

On Thursday, U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., offered up a plan for withdrawing the troops, because he sees their presence as a part of the problem. The ensuing meltdown was entirely predictable: “Cut and run!” “Cowardly!” “Defeatist!”

White House press secretary Scott McClellan emerged from the West Wing with this juvenile soundbite: “It is baffling that he is endorsing the policy positions of Michael Moore and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic Party.”

Please. Send out a grownup next time.

Murtha’s plan ought to be debated on its merits. Instead, reactionary opponents are calling into question the patriotism and bravery of a man who spent 37 years in the Marines.

It’s not just Murtha who is dismissed. U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., takes the view that we need to send a lot more troops to Iraq, because the current force is too small to be effective. But that approach isn’t seriously debated either.

Congress is still locked into the election-year template: You’re either for President Bush or against him.

Murtha’s loyalty is unquestionable. His change of heart on the war flows from compassion for the troops. He regularly visits the wounded and listens to their concerns. His thoughts deserve more than spitballs. Our leaders owe it to the troops and the American people to have sober discussions on whether the current course is wise.

The tiresome tactic of questioning the patriotism of war critics has to end. A majority of Americans think the war was a mistake. They deserve answers to very serious questions. This doesn’t mean the president should watch the polls and act accordingly. It means he needs to be less autocratic and more specific.

One encouraging sign is that senators agreed to request war updates from the president – and nobody called them names. It’s a sign that they remember the important role Congress should be playing.

Ever since the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that marked the official entry of the United States into the Vietnam War, Congress has been gun-shy about oversight. The War Powers Act is clear on the role of Congress, even if there isn’t a declaration of war. The president should already be providing periodic updates on the scope, nature and duration of hostilities.

Members of Congress don’t need permission to question the president or debate the merits of this war. If nothing else, we hope Murtha awoke them from their slumber.