The American public needs to be very wary of leaks seeping from the so-called Baker commission on the Iraq war. It is possible, given the timing, that the winks and nudges coming from the commission now represent an effort by White House Republicans to suggest to voters that the Bush administration is considering changes in its Iraq war policy, the GOP's principal losing card in the upcoming elections.

The bipartisan commission is co-chaired by former Bush I campaign manager and Secretary of State James A. Baker III and former Democratic Rep. Lee H. Hamilton of Indiana. Mr. Baker also led the political-legal team that worked in post-election 2000 with Florida authorities headed by Gov. Jeb Bush to put that state finally in the column of candidate George W. Bush.

We've said the commission could be a good thing if it nudges the nation's war policy in the right direction, but someone with Mr. Baker's political savvy is still up to throwing curve balls to the electorate to try to prevent the Republicans from losing one or both houses of Congress next month. He was very much the Republicans' "go to" guy in August 1992 when then President George H.W. Bush was losing his re-election effort. Mr. Baker was called into the fray again in Florida in 2000 when son George W. Bush was faced with a popular vote nationally in favor of Vice President Al Gore and a sticky vote-count situation in Florida.

The Baker commission, more formally known as the Iraq Study Group, was put together in March at the instigation of Rep. Frank R. Wolf, a Virginia Republican. It has taken the position that because of the controversial recommendations it might make, its results will not be released until after the Nov. 7 elections. Nonetheless, recent leaks from the group say it may call for the division of Iraq into three parts, for example, and other measures that could, in principle, lead to an end to U.S. involvement in the deadly, expensive war.

It may be that Mr. Baker's Iraq Study Group will make some interesting suggestions after the elections. Even if it does, the White House will be under no obligation to accept any of them.

In the meantime, Americans should be skeptical of information attributed to the group before its report is released -- especially leaks that come prior to the congressional elections. Mr. Baker's reputation shows him as a very partisan Republican with advanced political skills.