Looks like the only hope the Republicans have is Hillary rallying the US for more war
thecarpetbaggerreport.com
In October, then-Senate Armed Forces Committee Chairman John Warner (R-Va.) said, “In two or three months, if this thing hasn't come to fruition and if this level of violence is not under control … I think it's the responsibility of our government, internally, to determine: Is there a change of course that we should take? And I wouldn't take off the table any option at this time.” That three-month deadline came and went a couple of weeks ago.
To his credit, Warner is putting a new option on the table:
"Sen. John Warner (R-VA) will introduce a resolution today “making clear that he does not support the President on increasing the troop levels in Iraq” and calling escalation “a mistake,” CNN's Dana Bash reports. Warner's resolution will be cosponsored by Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Ben Nelson (D-NE).
"Warner, the former Armed Services Committee chairman, is a “very influential voice when it comes to military matters,” Bash reports, and until this fall had been “whole-heartedly behind the president and the war.” His new resolution “certainly…is not going to sit well with the White House.”"
I think that's a safe assumption. Warner is considered an elder statesman of the Senate GOP caucus, in addition to being a credible, experienced voice on foreign policy and national security issues. If Warner steps away from the White House, he takes some Republican colleagues with him.
For that matter, this isn't just a problem for the Bush gang of losing an influential GOP voice; it also undercuts the ongoing smear of White House critics. As recently as last week, Tony Snow argued that any congressional resolution, even a non-binding one, may lend comfort to our enemies. Is Snow, Rove, and the rest of the gang really prepared to impugn John Warner's patriotism? |
