GOP Finds Solid Ground On Iraq War

Politico: With Democrats Foundering, GOP Goes On Offensive Over Iraq

(The Politico) 
“I would hope [Reid’s] strategy would be to get the votes for a bridge fund,” said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.).

Levin says he supports a non-mandatory goal for withdrawal of troops and a change in mission because “it strikes the right balance” and because such a measure is likely to receive more votes.

Democrats came into the year with plenty of momentum and a mandate to change the course of the war, and they’ve spent plenty of time trying to woo moderate Republicans to join their side. But some of those moderates - even politically vulnerable ones facing tough reelection next year - are going in different directions.

Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), a top Democratic target in 2008, said he supports a reduction in troops “not for retreat or withdrawal but for the transition of power from us to them.”

Yet Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), another moderate, says she wants to require the president to change the mission but does not want to meddle with troop withdrawal timetables while the military is still trying to measure the outcome of the troop surge.

Besides, Collins says, “the Democrats are still fighting amongst themselves” on the next Iraq measure.

Democratic leaders remain confident - at least in public - of the party’s direction on Iraq policy. No Democrat who has previously supported a troop withdrawal timetable has switched sides and voted against such a policy, and Democrats continue to focus on the overall cost of the war, as well as the number of Americans killed, which is approaching 4,000.

So far, the Democrats’ message continues to be that the Bush “surge” has been somewhat successful in reducing violence, but political reconciliation within Iraq remains negligible, undermining the very reason why the president sent additional American forces to Iraq in the first place.

Democrats also refuse to give Bush any credit for the improved security situation in Iraq, and they argue that since the situation seems more stable there, U.S. troops should be brought home. Combined with the still-growing costs of the war, Democrats believe this message is still politically effective.

Democrats will continue to apply pressure on their GOP counterparts, gambling that forcing continued votes on proposals to force a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq will force moderate Republicans to question their continued support for Bush.

“You can’t really measure that unless you have something on the floor,” said Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), one of the leading Senate Democrats on Iraq.

However, it has been clear over the past week that there are divisions among Democrats over the $50 billion “bridge” fund. Last week, House leaders pulled their Iraq measure because Democrats needed more time to explain the measure to their caucus. In the Senate this week, Democrats will vote on a “goal” of troop withdrawal, but if it does not gain 60 votes, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) says the president won’t get his money.

That makes some Democrats uncomfortable, since they want to fund the troops even while Congress disagrees over how to end the war.

“I would hope [Reid&rsuo;s] strategy would be to get the votes for a bridge fund,” said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.).

Levin says he supports a non-mandatory goal for withdrawal of troops and a change in mission because “it strikes the right balance” and because such a measure is likely to receive more votes.

Democrats came into the year with plenty of momentum and a mandate to change the course of the war, and they’ve spent plenty of time trying to woo moderate Republicans to join their side. But some of those moderates - even politically vulnerable ones facing tough reelection next year - are going in different directions.

Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), a top Democratic target in 2008, said he supports a reduction in troops “not for retreat or withdrawal but for the transition of power from us to them.”

Yet Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), another moderate, says she wants to require the president to change the mission but does not want to meddle with troop withdrawal timetables while the military is still trying to measure the outcome of the troop surge.

Besides, Collins says, “the Democrats are still fighting amongst themselves” on the next Iraq measure.