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| NYT: G.O.P. Moderates Warn Bush Iraq Must Show Gains |
| 2007-05-10 |
| Moderate Republicans gave President Bush a blunt warning on his Iraq policy at a private White House meeting this week, telling the president that conditions needed to improve markedly by fall or more Republicans would desert him on the war. The White House session demonstrated the grave unease many Republicans are feeling about the war, even as they continue to stand with the president against Democratic efforts to force a withdrawal of forces through a spending measure that has been a flash point for weeks. Participants in the Tuesday meeting between Mr. Bush, senior administration officials and 11 members of a moderate bloc of House Republicans said the lawmakers were unusually candid with the president, telling him that public support for the war was crumbling in their swing districts. One told Mr. Bush that voters back home favored a withdrawal even if it meant the war was judged a loss. Representative Tom Davis told Mr. Bush that the president’s approval rating was at 5 percent in one section of his northern Virginia district. Several of the Republican moderates who visited the White House have already come under political attack at home for their support of Mr. Bush and survived serious Democratic challenges in November. Representative Charles W. Dent of Pennsylvania, a co-chairman of the Tuesday Group, an alliance of about 30 moderate Republican lawmakers, helped arrange the meeting. He said lawmakers wanted to convey the frustration and impatience with the war they are hearing from voters. “We had a very frank conversation about the situation in Iraq,” he said. Even so, the Republicans who attended the White House session indicated that they would maintain solidarity with Mr. Bush for now by opposing the latest Democratic proposal for two-stage financing of war, which is scheduled for a vote on Thursday in the House. ...“There’s a sense here certainly by the Democrats and growing among Republicans that there has to be some progress, significant progress to sustain it beyond September,” said Senator Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican. Lawmakers said there was strong emphasis that they would be formulating their future position on the war on the basis of what Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander in Iraq, says in a report this summer. “I think people want to hear what the general says,” said Representative Gerlach, of Pennsylvania. “We will all go from there.” This is what happens when you have a Democratic Party which views public opinion as something to be molded, managed, manipulated, and exploited-- and is damned good at doing it-- and Republicans who only know how to follow polls. Not one leader among them. Frankly, it's starting to look to me like America is going to cede this round of the war, and bug out even before the end of Bush's term. I hope not-- but that's what it's beginning to look like. |
| Posted by:Dave D. |
| #9 As said times before, Dubya is entrenching - any decision to pullout or withdraw will be for his GOP-DEM POTUS successor after January 2009, not him. NPE-MSM POLITIX > LA-LA LAND "SUCCESS" AND "PROSPERITY" IS FOR THE DEMOLEFT, REAL-WORLD PROBS + SOLUTIONS IS FOR THE GOP-RIGHT. The Dems want the WH in 2008, even iff it means taking 1990's BillClinton-style credit for any GOP success in the ME + economic expansion, etc. Dubya is all but daring Moud to "blink" and to do something to cause the USA to attack Iran. So-called "GAINS" is notsomuch measured by Iraq but the weakness, accomodation and response of Radical Iran and other International State sponsors of Terror vv Global Democracy-Libertarianism-Capitalism. IN ANY CASE, WOT > ANTI-US/ANTI-AMER WAR TO THE DEATH, even iff at times it doesn't look like it or Pols-MSM won't admit it. The Dems are sadly mistaken iff they think its "POLITIX AS USUAL" - despite the heavy damage/losses inflicted by Dubya, Radical Islam has not YET shown any sign of giving up its Globalist or Empiric ambitions. ANY NEWFOUND NATIONAL ISOLATIONISM, ESPEC AFTER 2009?, SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AS A SIGN AMER WILL BE SAFE FROM NEW ATTACKS. As long as Dubya continues to ENTRENCH wid out stop, every day Radical Iran will find it harder and harder to remove the US influence from the ME = Muslim World, by diplomacy or by force. It will be worse for Iran and other International sponsors of Terror-Radicalism iff Dubya's GOP-DEM successor as POTUS after January 2009 continues to entrench. Whether Iran = Radical Islam attacks the USA wid new Terror before 2008 or after 2009 will depend on their beliefs on what the 200m elex holds for their agendas - RIGHT NOW, ALL THINGS EQUAL, MOUD-MULLAHS MUST BE WORRIED THAT A DEM = ISOLATIONIST OR "GLOBALIST" POTUS IN 2009 WON'T DO ANYTHING FOR THEM. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-05-10 23:42 |
| #8 How about "Iraq won't be able to produce WMD for the next 100 years"? |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-05-10 22:03 |
| #7 Exactly, Dave D. - not a leader among them. It would help to be 200 years old, so as to have first-hand perspective on how good/bad, new/familiar much of this. From my considerably younger age, I can only say that I've never been as disgusted and furious in my life at the cowardice, cluelessness, and narcissism of the chattering, political, and opinion-molding classes (all qualities on display by members of all communities, and substantial portions of all persuasions and tribes). I'm in regular contact with some of my old colleagues back in Baghdad. A few are starting to share my new and disturbing feeling that anyone volunteering to serve is a sucker. With "leadership" this reckless and cowardly, it's simply impossible to see why one should go in harm's way (or do any more than warm a seat and maximize one's retirement benefits, as seems to be the prime motivation for so many current govt. employees) when no one else is serious. |
| Posted by: Verlaine 2007-05-10 15:01 |
| #6 "Why can't they take a page from Joe Lieberman's book?" Because to do so they'd have to be the same calibre of individual. |
| Posted by: RJB in JC MO 2007-05-10 13:59 |
| #5 Frankly, it's starting to look to me like America is going to cede this round of the war, and bug out even before the end of Bush's term. I hope not-- but that's what it's beginning to look like. Sadly, I agree. I'm utterly fed up with these RINOs: craven, spineless, opportunistic weasels. They're starting to turn me against the Reps almost as much as I'm against the Dems. Why can't they take a page from Joe Lieberman's book? He's been absolutely steadfast in his support for the objectives of this war - in one of the bluest states and in the face of withering criticism and a serious electoral challenge he won a resounding victory. |
| Posted by: xbalanke 2007-05-10 13:02 |
| #4 RHINOs |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2007-05-10 11:28 |
| #3 We're not retreating, we're attacking in another directon. |
| Posted by: Lt. Col. Murtha 2007-05-10 10:47 |
| #2 The only Republicans I will listen to who want to pull out of Iraq are Jacksonians who will clearly state they want to leave radioactive glass behind. Retreat is defeat unless it is couple with the new policy that rubble does not make trouble. Nuke Mecca, by the way. |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2007-05-10 09:09 |
| #1 GOP moderates, be advised you are targets. Every minute we search and plan to run conservatives against you in primaries. You are not the enemy, you are the maggots in the rice. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2007-05-10 09:04 |