Click for larger.
Two United States Senators of President Bush's Republican Party publicly called Tuesday for the start of U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq. Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana made a Senate speech calling for troop withdrawals, and Sen. George V. Voinovich of Ohio wrote President Bush urging "a comprehensive plan for our country's gradual military disengagement" from Iraq. "I am also concerned that we are running out of time," Voinovich wrote Bush.
A third influential Republican, Sen. John Warner of Virginia, lauded Sen. Lugar's speech.
Until now, it has been possible, albeit with difficulty, to attribute anti-war attitudes and actions in Congress primarily to the majority Democrats who took control after the last election. Now however senior key Republicans are publicly opposing President Bush's War in Iraq and declaring their lack of confidence in his "troop surge" plan.
Congress is about to begin its summer recess, during which members return to their home districts to talk with their constituents and get a sense of their wishes about major issues. Members of the House of Representatives must run for re-election every two years. One third of all Senators will also be up for re-election in the 2008 presidential-year election.
Party loyalty and party ideology take a back seat to the prospect of being defeated in the next election, and the Iraq War has become spectacularly unpopular. Voters want it to end, and will say so, candidly and, if necessary, rudely.
No comments:
Post a Comment