Now, as Republicans eye a Senate majority in an increasingly favorable political climate, Republican strategists say it would be better if the architects of the 2003 invasion of Iraq stayed off television.

“Whenever the conversation is on Iraq, it’s not good news for Republicans,” said John Ullyot, a GOP strategist and former Senate aide. “That’s not helped at all over the last week by a bunch of people who we hadn’t heard from in several years — Republican figures associated with Iraq from the Bush administration — who were suddenly back on major shows discussing the current state of affairs in Iraq.

“It was not a helpful reminder,” he added. “They probably should have stayed off the shows.”…

“I think there’s a real divided opinion about Vice President Cheney,” said Matt Mackowiak, a Republican strategist and former Senate aide. “In part of the party he’s deeply respected as a serious voice on national security and foreign policy, but there’s also a realization that Iraq was a mess and it cost more than we thought it would.