Bush Wakes up to Republicans Abandoning Him on Iraq
Bush Wakes up to Republicans Abandoning Him on Iraq
Collins Won't Agree with the President on no Conditions
There's also been movement by some Republicans. Maine Senator Susan Collins says many lawmakers won't agree with the president's preference of a bill that has no benchmarks or conditions. AP, May 3, 2007
"Obviously, the president would prefer a straight funding bill with no benchmarks, no conditions, no reports," said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). "Many of us, on both sides of the aisle, don't see that as viable." LA Times, May 3, 2007
Boustany Not Just Going Along with Executive Branch
And it comes as some Republicans are calling on colleagues to take a more independent position on the war after years of deferring to the White House. "We have to be engaged developing our own proposals and not just going along with what the executive branch is doing," said Rep. Charles Boustany Jr., a Louisiana Republican who voted against the Democratic plan to force Bush to start withdrawing troops.
Jack Kingston: Marketplace ripe for a new idea
Rep. Jack Kingston, a Georgia Republican who has supported Bush's war strategy even as the public has turned against it, said, "The marketplace has become ripe for a new idea." L.A. Times, May 3, 2007
Bob Inglis: No Blank Check for the President
But a new dynamic also is at work, with some Republicans now saying that funding further military operations in Iraq with no strings attached does not make practical or political sense. Rep. Bob Inglis (S.C.), a conservative who opposed the first funding bill, said, "The hallway talk is very different from the podium talk." Washington Post, May 3, 2007
GOP Presicential candidates Vexed by Bush
As they gather Thursday night at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library for their first debate, the Republican presidential candidates are thrilled at the chance to associate themselves with Reagan. But they may not be able to escape the challenge created for them by the current president. As much as Iraq or health care or any other issue, the question of how to deal with President Bush is vexing the Republican field. NY Times, May 3, 2007
Senator Snowe at Odds with White House on Iraq
A likely sticking point is whether to include consequences if the Iraqi government fails to meet the benchmarks. Democrats, and some Republicans such as Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine, insist that there be penalties for falling short, such as a loss of U.S. financial support or the withdrawal of some coalition forces.
`Jeopardizes the Government'
Bush and many Republicans have opposed penalizing Iraq for falling short of benchmarks. White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said yesterday that the administration won't accept ``anything that jeopardizes the government of Iraq or weakens the ability of our forces to succeed.'' Bloomberg, May 3, 2007
"Not only does this issue have to be addressed in a bipartisan manner to effect change in Iraq, it's also the right thing to do," Snowe said. [LA Times, 5/3/07]
"The general sense is that the benchmarks are critical," said Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (Maine), a moderate who opposed the original bill but supports some constraints. [Washington Post, 5/3/07]
Voinovich: Bush has no Choice But to Compromise
Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, is even less delicate as he acknowledges that the President has no choice but to compromise with congressional Democrats and accept conditions under which the war can continue. At a minimum, the Iraqi government -- or what passes for one -- must reduce the sectarian anarchy and bloodshed that make the U.S. military presence in that country so dangerous.
"That's how it's done," explains Mr. Voinovich. "Everybody holds their nose and maybe a couple of times vomits, but you get it done." Albany Times Union, May 3, 2007
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