2 GOP Senators Assail Bush's War Strategy
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Sen. George Voinovich said Tuesday the U.S. should begin pulling troops out of Iraq and bolster diplomatic efforts, becoming the second Republican lawmaker in as many days to declare President Bush's war strategy a failure.
"It's in their best interest to become part of the solution instead of sitting on the sidelines," the Ohio senator said of the Iraqi people. "I don't think they'll get it until they know we're leaving."
Voinovich's remarks come on the heels of similar comments by Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind. The two GOP senators previously had expressed concerns about Bush's decision to send 30,000 extra troops to Iraq in a massive U.S.-led security push in Baghdad and Anbar province. But they had stopped short of saying U.S. troops should leave and declined to back Democratic legislation setting a deadline for troop withdrawals.
The strong words of these two moderate Republican senators could provide cover for even more Republicans, which is why this challenge to Mr. Bush is such a big deal, reports CBS News chief White House correspondent Jim Axelrod.
"In many ways it is the moderate Republicans who may provide the grist and the number of votes needed to create veto-proof legislation mandating a troop reduction," says Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Lugar and Voinovich said they are still not ready to insist on a timetable for withdrawal. But they both made it clear their patience was gone.
Voinovich said he was presenting his proposal for a way out of Iraq in a letter to the president, slated for release later Tuesday.
Once Iraq's neighbors "know we are genuinely leaving, I think all of a sudden the fear of God will descend upon them and say, 'We've got to get involved in this thing,"' he said.
"It can't be something that is precipitous, but I do believe that it should be enough so that people know we are indeed disengaging," Voinovich said.
The loss of GOP support for the president's strategy is significant. Democrats may still not be able to push through legislation demanding an end date to the war, but softer alternative proposals are in the works that could still challenge Bush.
After the Fourth of July recess, "you'll be hearing a number of statements from other (Republican) colleagues," predicted Sen. John Warner, R-Va., a longtime skeptic of the war strategy.
Spokesman John Ullyot said Warner is drafting a legislative proposal on the war, but declined to discuss the details. The measure would likely be offered as an amendment to the 2008 defense authorization bill on the floor next month.
The White House on Tuesday appealed to members for more patience on the war in Iraq.
"We hope that members of the House and Senate will give the Baghdad security plan a chance to unfold," said White House spokesman Tony Snow.
Snow also said Lugar was a thoughtful man and that his remarks came as no surprise.
"We've known that he's had reservations about the policy for some time," he said.
In January, Lugar expressed concerns about the president's decision to send 30,000 extra troops to Baghdad. But he voted against a resolution opposing Bush's troop build up, contending that the nonbinding measure would have no practical effect. In the spring, he voted against a Democratic bill that would have triggered troop withdrawals by Oct. 1 with the goal of completing the pullout in six months.
In a floor speech Monday, Lugar said the U.S. should reduce the military's role in Iraq and called on Bush to press other diplomatic and economic initiatives instead. Because of Lugar's position as the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, his speech was a considered a blow to the administration as it tries to shore up sagging political support for the unpopular war.
"In my judgment, the costs and risks of continuing down the current path outweigh the potential benefits that might be achieved," Lugar, R-Ind., said in a Senate floor speech. "Persisting indefinitely with the surge strategy will delay policy adjustments that have a better chance of protecting our vital interests over the long term."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called Lugar's speech "brilliant" and "courageous" and said it would later be noted in the history books as a turning point in the war.
"But that will depend on whether more Republicans take the stand that Sen. Lugar took," added Reid, D-Nev.
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. "It's in their best interest to become part of the solution instead of sitting on the sidelines," the Ohio senator said of the Iraqi people. "I don't think they'll get it until they know we're leaving."
Voinovich's remarks come on the heels of similar comments by Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind. The two GOP senators previously had expressed concerns about Bush's decision to send 30,000 extra troops to Iraq in a massive U.S.-led security push in Baghdad and Anbar province. But they had stopped short of saying U.S. troops should leave and declined to back Democratic legislation setting a deadline for troop withdrawals.
The strong words of these two moderate Republican senators could provide cover for even more Republicans, which is why this challenge to Mr. Bush is such a big deal, reports CBS News chief White House correspondent Jim Axelrod.
"In many ways it is the moderate Republicans who may provide the grist and the number of votes needed to create veto-proof legislation mandating a troop reduction," says Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Lugar and Voinovich said they are still not ready to insist on a timetable for withdrawal. But they both made it clear their patience was gone.
Voinovich said he was presenting his proposal for a way out of Iraq in a letter to the president, slated for release later Tuesday.
Once Iraq's neighbors "know we are genuinely leaving, I think all of a sudden the fear of God will descend upon them and say, 'We've got to get involved in this thing,"' he said.
"It can't be something that is precipitous, but I do believe that it should be enough so that people know we are indeed disengaging," Voinovich said.
The loss of GOP support for the president's strategy is significant. Democrats may still not be able to push through legislation demanding an end date to the war, but softer alternative proposals are in the works that could still challenge Bush.
After the Fourth of July recess, "you'll be hearing a number of statements from other (Republican) colleagues," predicted Sen. John Warner, R-Va., a longtime skeptic of the war strategy.
Spokesman John Ullyot said Warner is drafting a legislative proposal on the war, but declined to discuss the details. The measure would likely be offered as an amendment to the 2008 defense authorization bill on the floor next month.
The White House on Tuesday appealed to members for more patience on the war in Iraq.
"We hope that members of the House and Senate will give the Baghdad security plan a chance to unfold," said White House spokesman Tony Snow.
Snow also said Lugar was a thoughtful man and that his remarks came as no surprise.
"We've known that he's had reservations about the policy for some time," he said.
In January, Lugar expressed concerns about the president's decision to send 30,000 extra troops to Baghdad. But he voted against a resolution opposing Bush's troop build up, contending that the nonbinding measure would have no practical effect. In the spring, he voted against a Democratic bill that would have triggered troop withdrawals by Oct. 1 with the goal of completing the pullout in six months.
In a floor speech Monday, Lugar said the U.S. should reduce the military's role in Iraq and called on Bush to press other diplomatic and economic initiatives instead. Because of Lugar's position as the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, his speech was a considered a blow to the administration as it tries to shore up sagging political support for the unpopular war.
"In my judgment, the costs and risks of continuing down the current path outweigh the potential benefits that might be achieved," Lugar, R-Ind., said in a Senate floor speech. "Persisting indefinitely with the surge strategy will delay policy adjustments that have a better chance of protecting our vital interests over the long term."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called Lugar's speech "brilliant" and "courageous" and said it would later be noted in the history books as a turning point in the war.
"But that will depend on whether more Republicans take the stand that Sen. Lugar took," added Reid, D-Nev.
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Why change now Senator, the gift that keeps on giving to your special interest donors dry up, oh yeah they can%u2019t vote can they.
He has illegally, immorally and unilaterally invaded a country that originally had no ties to terrorism. Now, yes, there are many terrorism threats as Iraq is an international terrorist congregation point.
I served in Iraq and spoke with hundreds of US and "Coalition" military members. I guarantee you there was no one who agreed with our/their presence in Iraq.
When was the last time you heard the media refer to "the Coalition?"
Who are the terrorists in Iraq? What the hell has Bush gotten us into? Where's the plan to get out of this quagmire?
Is there a poll of parents of the dead, injured or missing as to their support for this war?
That approval rating (if it is actually 14%)is completly because of the GOP that were in there tearing this country to shreds and selling it off to big business, while letting these crooks who are still in office steal as much as they possibly could. The only thing I disapprove of so far in this congress is that the Dems haven't put Bush and especially Cheney and company away forever.
As for the GOP rats jumping ship, they haven't got a preyer. You made a deal with the devil... Not a single thing has changed in Iraq for years(except the number of dead soldiers and civilians and the amount of IOU's in the treasury) and now that it's time to ask the very people they just screwed to the wall to give them another term (just balls on an unprecidented scale), their out there saying we think it's time for cange. You guys are gone, better spend your money fixing elections because your wasting it if you think you can get people to believe your going to represent them.
Posted by jh6379 at 08:44 AM : Jun 27, 2007
-nope jh, he will have his Dicck friend to play with.
Sorry boys, too late to save your stinking tails!
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