Posted on 01/22/2007 1:37:42 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Congressional Republicans pushed back Monday against President Bush's decision to deploy additional troops in Iraq, some voicing opposition while others called for the administration and Iraqi government to be held accountable.
In the Senate, three GOP lawmakers joined one Democrat in unveiling nonbinding legislation expressing disagreement with Bush's plan and urging him to "consider all options and alternatives" to the planned increase of 21,500 troops.
In the House, members of the leadership drafted a series of what they called "strategic benchmarks," and said the White House should submit monthly reports to Congress measuring progress toward meeting them.
The developments occurred on the eve of Bush's State of the Union address, and as Democrats pointed toward votes in the House and Senate in the next few weeks declaring that the troop increase was "not in the national interest of the United States."
Republicans have struggled to respond in the two weeks since Bush outlined his new strategy in a speech. Though aware that the war played a role in the GOP defeat in last fall's elections, most have been unwilling to abandon a president of their own party.
Both the Senate legislation and the action taken by the House Republican leaders were softer than the legislation that majority Democrats intend to place for a vote. But they also represented a more forceful response to the long and deadly war than the GOP offered while it held the majority in Congress.
Sen. John Warner (news, bio, voting record) of Virginia, former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined GOP Sens. Susan Collins (news, bio, voting record) of Maine and Norm Coleman (news, bio, voting record) of Minnesota in producing the legislation expressing disagreement with Bush's plan.
"I personally, speaking for myself, have great concern about the American G.I. being thrust into that situation, the origins of which sometimes go back over a thousand years," Warner said.
Sen. Ben Nelson (news, bio, voting record) of Nebraska, the Senate's most conservative Democrat, joined the Republicans.
In the House, Rep. John Boehner (news, bio, voting record) of Ohio, the party's leader, said that he supports Bush's plan and that his backing is not conditional on the president agreeing to meet the standards that lawmakers laid out.
He said he had told the president "that the support is still strong among Republicans but there are a lot of our members who are skeptical that the plan will work" because of doubts that the Iraqi government will follow through on its commitments.
Boehner also released a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., urging her to appoint a special committee of equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats to oversee the "implementation and progress of the president's new strategy for success in Iraq."
As the majority party, Democrats generally are entitled to more seats on House committees than Republicans, and it is unlikely Pelosi would agree to a different arrangement to monitor the war.
The House Republicans' suggested "strategic benchmarks" apply largely to the Iraqi government, which has pledged additional troops to quell sectarian fighting and to restrain Shiite militia.
Republicans want the government to be measured on its cooperation with U.S. forces, its ability to purge its security forces of insurgents and their sympathizers and also on its ability to assure that Shiite, Sunni, Kurd and other groups are treated equally.
___
Associated Press Writer Anne Flaherty contributed to this article
This is the watered-down version. The one that it is hoped by those against the surge that they can get "moderates" on both sides of the aisle to sign onto. Not the original. This is for Senators too wimpy to go along with the total wimp-out-on-Iraq-and-the-President resolution.
He also has a non-com son serving in Iraq.
Tell the Congress-critters to get back to work at THEIR jobs and leave the President to HIS. Quit wasting our tax dollars on things that are NOT your responsibility!
When was Norm Coleman ever considered a conservative? He was a democrat at one time, and then a republican who could win a mayoral race in a liberal city.
He's against ANWR, for crying out loud.
However, he claims his opposition to the troop surge is based on conversations he had over in Iraq. I think he's frustrated that the Iraqi people aren't doing more, and thinks the surge is just doing what the Iraqi people wouldn't do for themselves.
There are conservatives who have fallen into the trap of thinking Iraq is about installing democracy in Iraq, and they now think Iraq doesn't deserve it, and want to punish them by leaving.
If we can remind them that the war in Iraq is not for the Iraqi people, but to keep US safe, they could get back to looking for ways to WIN THE WAR, instead of ways to get our troops OUT of the war.
LOL...great explanation of the Warner Wimpy bill.
That is correct, the initial version included support by Snowe among others, No wimp , she. ;-)
Bush won't do it, but there's nothing I'd love to see more tomorrow night than to hear the President tell these bastards about the aid & comfort they're giving our enemies.
Me too and he just might make known his sentiments.
Supposedly, these GOP Senators have met with the POTUS several times..and Pres. Bush as reminded them of the fact that this is about OUR national security..
If they choose not to listen..and want to go off on their own..tough, but I hope the voters in their states remember, come election time.
"vote whores all"
Yeah, you'd think they put more importance on their reelection than the defense of their country. /s
Well said!
You said it. Never trust a Republican. They're gutless wonders; each and every one.
bump
High praise coming from you; thank you!
RECALL COLEMAN!!!!
A handful are abandoning POTUS, so compute that to cover all?
Good grief.
That's exactly what they're hoping for...
You do realize that about %70 of the American public is against the war right now don't you? Whether you agree with them or not, being against the war is the politically expedient thing to do.
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