Senate mood shows end of Bush's war has begun

November 18, 2005

The Senate's two votes on the Iraq War earlier this week seemed, on the surface, to be a victory for President George W. Bush.

First, it rejected a Democrat-sponsored plan to set a timetable for withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Then, it voted on a compromise version that only called upon the president to report quarterly on progress there. Bush himself said he could live with that. But it is far more likely that the Senate votes represent the beginning of the end of Bush's war in Iraq.

The far more significant vote was the one approved 79-19, with Republican support, to require those regular reports on progress in turning over responsibility for the country's security to Iraqi forces. The Democrats' timetable measure was nothing more than a partisan attempt to embarrass the president. It gave Democrats, many of whom had given the president the power to go to war in 2002, a way to say they now do not support the effort - since they have an eye on the midterm elections in 2006, and the White House in 2008. Requiring a specific timetable is a bad idea if for no other reason than it tells the insurgents in Iraq, "If you just hold on to this date, you can still prevail."

It is significant, however, that the Republicans felt they could not just turn back the Democrats' ploy. They had to do something more to demonstrate what has become all too painfully obvious to them: The American people have lost confidence in the administration's effort in Iraq. With more than 2,000 of our soldiers killed and the toll continuing to mount, Bush is losing not only on the ground in Iraq but also in the crucial battlefield of public opinion at home. In a democracy, you cannot fight a war without the support of the people. The Senate vote is a reflection of what the 100 politicians who comprise the Senate are feeling from their home states.

http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-vpbottom4516959nov18,0,5700593.column?coll=ny-viewpoints-headlines



That's one ANGRY lookin' DICK.

it would come to this. They knew it was a losing battle, quite literally. They can't be that dumb. But - they are probably quite happy because the Gravy Train lasted such a long time. There was so much money to pilfer from the public treasury, to be diverted to their corporate cronies.

So in their minds - they've been quite successful.