Barnicle is on ranting about this being a "Republican War"...but, he is mostly angry with Hillary for NOT coming out against the war and Bush's new plan..
He said she may just be too into her campaign..LOL
Thad Cochran has come out FOR the Bush plan...so that is what 2 GOP Senators...McCain and Cochran??
Any Presidential candidates stabbing the Pres in the back?
Mitch McConnell also.
But let's go to the White House, to our correspondent there, Suzanne Malveaux, with a look ahead to what the president plans to tell the nation tonight -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, of course, President Bush has been preparing for this speech, going over, reading the TelePrompTer. This morning he reached out to Iraqi officials, Sunni, Kurd as well as Shiite, and also hosted the Democratic and Republican members of Congress here at the White House.
Democrats quite displeased with all this. They said they felt that they were a prop for a dress rehearsal. Essentially, we have heard and we've seen this situation before, a public relations campaign.
And the big question -- whether or not this is going to be another pep rally or really a successful policy?
Here's what we're expecting from the president, that first and foremost, he will acknowledge failure. He will talk about how the current strategy is not working, that mistakes were made, not enough U.S. or Iraqi forces.
He'll lay out the plan, therefore talking about this increase in troops -- more than 21,000 U.S. troops. That is five Army brigades, the first one leaving from Kuwait perhaps as recent as within a week or so, the others to follow in February and the following month; as well as 4,000 Marines to the Anbar Province. That is an al Qaeda stronghold.
Now, the cost of all of this -- you're not going to hear numbers from the president today, but we were told from a senior administration official $5.6 billion for the military operation. That, of course, being requested for this -- to the budget supplemental. And then a $1 billion jobs program to try to put the Iraqis back to work -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Suzanne, the Iraqi government of Nouri Al-Maliki, they really have to come through now in order to make this new Bush strategy work.
What are they saying? What are you hearing that the Iraqis have agreed to?
MALVEAUX: Well, what the Iraqis have agreed to is an increase in troops, three brigades. So you're talking about one going in in the beginning of February, two other brigades February 15th to join with U.S. forces, that they are now going to take the lead in Baghdad to, of course, try to secure the capital city.
We've also been told that the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri Al- Maliki, himself, has given reassurances to President Bush that the rules of engagement here with troops are going to change, that they are going to be open to travel any part of Iraq, including Sadr City, to go after those dangerous militia -- Wolf.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/10/sitroom.01.html
"Thad Cochran has come out FOR the Bush plan...so that is what 2 GOP Senators...McCain and Cochran??"
Good for Thad! Surely there will be more! Let's hope they have not all lost their nerve...(rolling eyes)