Republicans Hit Back On Iraq

Sensing a shift in momentum in Congress on the Iraq war, Republican leaders came out swinging Thursday, accusing Democrats of prejudging next week’s administration report on President Bush’s troop surge.

“Many [Democrats] are downplaying the significance of the report and of Gen. David Petraeus as a commander, because apparently it is not the news they were hoping for,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said at a press conference.

“Will the general’s critics support the efforts of our troops in Iraq, or will they settle for a political victory here at home?” McConnell asked.

Calling the release of next week’s report a “defining moment” in the war, House Minority Leader Rep. John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) urged Democrats to “listen closely” to the reports from Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq David Crocker.