Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: longnshort who wrote (322108)	1/21/2007 10:53:54 PM
From: tejek	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1574589

Bush may lose N.C. ally If George Bush loses Elizabeth Dole on the war in Iraq, he is in big trouble. Though North Carolina's senior senator continues to support the war, there are hints she is taking a more independent view of the president's plan to increase troops there. Bush has had no more steadfast allies on the war than the two Tar Heel senators, Republicans Dole and Richard Burr. But after the president's announcement of an escalation of troops, Burr and Dole responded differently. Burr, who recently returned from Iraq, said he supported the increase in troops "provided those troops are given a clearly defined mission and achievable military objectives." Dole, who was in Iraq last spring, was more hesitant, saying she was "inclined" to support the troop increase. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Dole said she "want(s) to know more details about the specific missions these men and women will perform, and how this new direction will get the job done, stabilize Iraq, and allow our troops in harm's way to return home." The difference between Burr's support and Dole's more qualified support is subtle, but it's significant. Dole's comments come at a time when a number of Republican senators, including Virginia's John Warner and Mississippi's Trent Lott, are voicing varying degrees of skepticism about the conduct of the war. Even the administration has changed its tone, acknowledging mistakes and showing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld the door. Any sort of break with the administration would be difficult for Dole, who is politically joined at the hip with Bush. The White House recruited her in 2002 to run for the seat held by Sen. Jesse Helms, who had announced his retirement. A Bush operative, Ed Gillespie, was her chief campaign strategist. Bush campaigned more for Dole than for any other candidate in the country, with the exception of his brother, Jeb, who was running for governor of Florida. Dole was a cheerleader for the administration last year as chairwoman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. But she also saw firsthand how the Iraqi war cost Republicans control of the Senate. While Bush was a major asset for Dole in 2002, he could be a drag in 2008 when Dole faces re-election. President Bush's approval ratings in North Carolina have fallen to 41 percent, according to a statewide poll conducted this month by the Civitas Institute, a Raleigh-based think tank with a conservative bent. The survey found that only 11 percent of the voters favor a troop increase, with 57 percent favoring either an immediate or phased troop withdrawal. There is no indication that Dole is in trouble. Democrats are having difficulty finding a candidate to challenge her. But her approval rating of 52 percent is slightly below the 54 percent average for an incumbent senator, according to Survey USA. If support for the war in Iraq continues to slide, Dole may be looking to distance herself from Bush and the war. newsobserver.com