RNC, House, And Senate GOP Unite For "Slow Bleed" Attack On Democrats

For the first time since the new Congress began, a united communications effort has been launched by the Republican National Committee and House and Senate Republicans to assault Democratic anti-war efforts.

At the first joint House-Senate leadership press conference last week, leaders pushed their claim that the Democrats are mounting an anti-war campaign that amounts to a "slow bleed" of support for American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The RNC plans to follow that up with an assault on Democrats using the same theme. "This is the first time all three of us have worked together on something in a long time," said an aide to Senate Conference Chairman Sen. Jon Kyl.

It's just the latest effort by Republicans to point out what they say is the hypocrisy of Democrats voting to criticize the war but also funding it. Since the new publication, "The Politico," first coined the phrase, the Republicans have seized on it. In a release, Kyl's operation found that it was being adopted by reporters and editorialists around the nation.

By Paul Bedard