In sum, rather than running away from an Iraq debate, Republicans ought to be begging for one. To begin with, it can be a way to read Trump out of the party and return what Walter Russell Mead describes as the "Jacksonian," nationalist element – who, in addition to their grievances against the corruptions of the elite, hate the idea that the rest of the world is kicking sand in America's face – to the conservative coalition. Reframing the issue is also essential in the presidential contest itself, particularly if Hillary Clinton is the Democratic candidate; her for-it-before-I-was-against-it posture reveals that, while she's had a lot of "experience," she has not learned from it.
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