Saturday, July 14, 2007

The Republicans Are Caving On Iraq

The public has long since lost patience with the Iraq War. By and large Americans realize it is an untenable situation whose cost in lives and dollars is simply no longer worth it. This fact has been expressed in the low approval ratings for the Democratic Congress which was elected to end this disastrous war. What is happening now points to an extremely smart political plan to bring as many Republicans as possible over to the Democratic position to begin the pullout of our troops.

When the President vetoed the war spending plan the war was funded through March 07 but the bill that the President finally signed only funded the war through September. With every passing day the news from Iraq worsens and the Republican revolt, especially from those up for re-election in 2008, grows.

There is a new plan being discussed by Senators Lugar and Warner that would demand a new strategy by mid-October to restrict the mission of U.S. troops.
The two senators are considered the GOP's foremost national security experts. Warner was the longtime chairman of the Armed Services Committee until stepping down last year, while Lugar is the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee.

The legislation also draws heavily from existing GOP-backed proposals, increasing the chances of attracting support.

It would require Bush to submit by Oct. 16 a plan to "transition U.S. combat forces from policing the civil strife or sectarian violence in Iraq" to a narrow set of missions: protecting Iraqi borders, targeting terrorists, protecting U.S. assets and training Iraqi forces.

The bill suggests the plan be ready for implementation by next year.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid balked at the proposal because it would not require Bush to implement the strategy. He said he prefers legislation the Senate will vote on next week that would order combat troops to be out of Iraq by next spring.
Any legislation that does not require a withdrawal is just window dressing to provide cover for scared Republican lawmakers. It is time to cut off the funds for this war and tell Mr. Bush that playtime is over. He lost the game and now needs to be sent to his room to read "My Pet Goat" and ponder his ranking as the worst President in American history.

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