As long as it continues, Congress -- and President Bush -- will never be rid of talk about the war in Iraq.

A month after Rep. John Murtha, D-Johnstown, called for the complete withdrawal of troops, another Pennsylvania politician is trying to promote progress in the conflict.

About two weeks ago, U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., wrote a letter to the president asking for an independent commission to examine the war and to determine the best way to end the conflict successfully.

Santorum's latest political endeavor might come as a surprise to some, given the fact that he and Bush share staunchly conservative views.

Presumably he would not want to undermine the president's authority by chairing a panel, or even promoting a panel if it would conclude that the president's previous actions regarding the conflict were wrong.

Therefore, it is logical to assume Santorum's letter was a political ploy to attract moderate voters. Up for re-election in November, Santorum has been publicly leaning more left than his track record shows him to be. Regardless, an independent panel might very well do something positive about the war.

While there is potential for the panel to help Congress and the administration effectively redirect war efforts, a lot depends on how the panel is structured. If it is an all-conservative, Republican effort, then there might not be much dialogue addressing the negative aspects of the war thus far. Conversely, if the panel were an all-liberal, Democratic effort, the members might not discuss anything positive about decisions concerning the war thus far.

However, a bipartisan effort to seriously examine the possibilities for the future of the U.S. military in Iraq might be able to make some constructive recommendations.

Unlike the 9/11 commission, this panel would be debating the problem and addressing possible solutions while the issue is still occurring. That critical difference gives the panel huge possibilities.

Hopefully Congress and the administration recognize the importance of focusing on the future of Iraq rather than re-hashing history -- not why, how and what happened to get us into the war. Instead the parties involved should concentrate their efforts on how to end America's participation in the military conflict without compromising the new Iraqi government.