(Warner) In Fighting Troop Increase, Senator Finds Few Old Allies

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/01/washington/01cong.html?hp&ex=1170392400&en=02c77aa70de9904a&ei=5094&partner=homepage

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 — Senator John W. Warner, a lawmaker often admired for his demeanor and experience, has long wielded influence on military policy given his own years at the Pentagon and his tenure as the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee.

So when the Virginian, a senator from central casting who turns 80 next month, offered a bipartisan resolution opposing President Bush’s troop buildup in Iraq in more muted terms than one broadly backed by Democrats, people took notice. He appeared to have provided a center of gravity for lawmakers anxious about the war yet unwilling to challenge the White House too harshly.

But while Mr. Warner has won some support from within his party, he has also attracted unusually tough criticism from fellow Republicans who have suggested that he — a World War II veteran and former Navy secretary — is undercutting Mr. Bush, the new military command being installed in Iraq and the troops themselves.

It is a time of transition for Mr. Warner in the Senate. Not only are Republicans now in the minority, but he also lost the top Republican slot on the Armed Services Committee to John McCain of Arizona because of term limits and was not successful in efforts to win the top party seat on another panel. In addition, his fellow Republican, George Allen, lost his reelection bid in Virginia to a Democrat, Senator Jim Webb.

So while Mr. Warner fights to stay relevant in the Iraq debate, he has fewer tools at his disposal even as he considers whether to run for re-election next year.

What some Republicans have said in recent days about Mr. Warner has been particularly harsh.

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