Sessions: Troop Movement After September

(CBS)  Most Republicans in Congress are expecting the president to start cutting back on the number of troops in Iraq, conservative Republican Senator Jeff Sessions said on Face The Nation.

"By September, when General Petraeus is to make a report, I think most of the people in Congress believe, unless something extraordinary occurs, that we should be on a move to draw that surge number down," Sessions said. "This government in Iraq has got to step up, and we've got to be able to draw our troop levels down, to be in a more supportive role, an embedding role, a training role, and they've got to defend their own country."

On Friday, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said he expects to see a shift in policy by the fall, and he expects "the president to lead it."

Democratic Senator Carl Levin, who also appeared on Face The Nation, said there's no reason to wait until September.

"We've got men and women dying in Iraq right now. Why not make that change in course right now? We know it has to come," Levin told Bob Schieffer. "There must be no ambiguity. This president is totally ambiguous, and he doesn't get it... He talks about the Iraq political leaders needing to do something, but he won't say what they must do or what the consequences would be."

Sessions said that Republicans in Congress will until September to give the President Bush's troop "surge" time to work, but he said he did not expect them to wait much longer.

"I don't think we need to be an occupying power. This is a fine line we've walked, and this surge has got to be temporary," Sessions said. "Because of the violence in the capital city of Baghdad, we had to take a bitter pill, and this Congress has supported General Petraeus and the step up for a surge for a temporary period."

Sessions thinks the president is "coming around" to the same point of view.

"I certainly hope that will occur. We cannot sustain this level, in my opinion, in Iraq and Afghanistan much longer," he said.

[likeitis5050]

The pull out will begin when, and only when, it works best for the Republican Party in campaigning. It's all about timing. Troops will begin coming home, gas prices will stabilize...refineries will suddenly be working like clockwork and supplies will be adequate...the housing market will begin to rebound...it will be a miracle!!! And the Republicans will be all over it. If they can just keep from reviewing the platform used in the last 2 elections...'restoring integrity and personal accountability to the White House'...they will be able to snow 50.9999% of the voters...again. It really takes so little these days.

[realpatriot1]

Why is fall the time to cut and run and not now?

Bush/Cheney need more time to sucker the Iraqis into relinquishing their oil rights.

It won't go past September because the Republicans running for re-election need this out of the way to start raising corporate cash.

So much for our destiny.

[firststate]

Does the Senator mean that the deaths of the members of our military who are killed in the interim, trying to sustain a policy that doesn't work, are supposed to be an acceptable price for allowing bush to save face? Bushshit! Start drawing our forces down, now. That decision would spare the lives of hundreds of our men and women in uniform in Iraq. Their lives are far more valuable than anyone's image.

[norcalruss]

Looks like the Reps are getting more nervous publicly about supporting Bushs disaster in Iraq the closer it gets to election day 2008. While the Reps call the Dem plan for withdrawing, CUT and RUN, their policy is more like BLAME and RUN. It seems like the two end games are not a lot different, just that the Reps will blame the Iraqi government for the mess Bush started, before pulling the plug themselves.

[jraf766]

Well no one commented so I will, just face it, we will be in Iraq forever, and soon Iran, and soon, all over the Middle east.

I fought twice in Iraq, there is no hope of us comming home soon.

[gkc99]

And even the rats can hear the water sloshing around in the hold . . .

[vincan-2009]

I hope he is right, but think Sessions is dreaming. Bush is delusional and not about to let anybody tell him what he doesn't want to hear. Republicans need to wake up and smell the bad odor Bush is causing. Bush will keep sinking and it is up to all republicans in office to decide when to swim for shore and leave this dead weight on his own.

[formrusmcsgt]

"This president is totally ambiguous, and he doesn't get it... He talks about the Iraq political leaders needing to do something, but he won't say what they must do or what the consequences would be."
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Precisely why, after 4 years, we don't control a single square mile of Iraq.

[sjc_1]

After the commander's report comes in, it is up to W to get real or get abandoned by his own party. Enough is too much in this case and it is way over due time for him to realize this.

[sjc_1]

I think that unless Junior gets his act together by then, you will hear the rushing sound of Republicans heading for the door. They are not going to get hammered for this guy's idiocy and lunacy.