Posted on 05/09/2007 5:55:32 PM PDT by kellynla
TIM RUSSERT, NBC NIGHTLY NEWS: Brian, all eyes on the Republican party. How long will they support the president's position on the Iraq War? Yesterday may have been a defining, pivotal moment.
At two-thirty in the afternoon, in the private quarters of the White House, the Solarium Room, eleven Republican congressmen had a private meeting with the president, the secretary of defense, the secretary of state, the chief political advisor Karl Rove, and the White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, and others.
This delegation was headed by Mark Kirk of Illinois and Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania. It was, in the words of one of the participants, the most unvarnished conversation they've ever had with the president.
Another member has said he has met with three presidents and never been so candid. They told the president, and one said, quote, "My district is prepared for defeat. We need candor, we need honesty, Mr. President."
The president responded, "I don't want to pass this off to another president. I don't want to pass this off, particularly, to a democratic president," underscoring he understood how serious the situation was.
Brian, the Republican congressmen went on to say, "The word about the war and its progress cannot come from the White House or even you, Mr. President. There's no longer any credibility. It has to come from General Petraeus.
The meeting lasted an hour and fifteen minutes, and was, in the words of one, " remarkable for the bluntness, and no holds barred honesty and the message delivered by all these Republican congressmen.
BRIAN WILLIAMS: And Tim...how did the president react and how did this then affect the instructions for VP Cheney heading off to Iraq?
RUSSERT: One congressman said, "How can our daughters and sons spill their blood while the Iraqi parliament goes on vacation? The president responded, "The Vice President is over there to tell them, 'Do not go on vacation.'"
Developing...
Listening to Tim Russert asking questions is the same as listening to the official spokesman of the DNC asking questions.
I know, and the “moderates” have taken endless delight in his defeat.
But that doesn’t mean he was crushed because of Iraq.
The Kurds want to divide up the country, certainly, even if no one else wants them to.
Exactly. Televised town hall meetings with ordinary people. Twice a month. Take them around the country. Get Bush out and show him answering the tough questions.
To paraphrase Mr Rumsfeld, "You go to war with the President you have, not the one you wish you had." Sad to say, but the contemporary crop of politicians had few people in it qualified to try and attempt what President Bush did in Iraq. (The only difference being that the rest of them likely realized immediately that they weren't up to the task.)
Remaking Iraq into a liberal democracy while keeping the American people on board may have been a bridge too far for any one of our current leaders. It was an audacious, visionary move, but having balls to try and having the skill to succeed don't always go hand in hand.
Amen bro! Amen
Have you been on tour in Iraq or have any close friends serving in Iraq?
Otherwise, you have no claim to the statement you just made.
So is Romney.
I have sent him a letter letting him know I will be voting for a Rat for the first time in 25 years rather than Gordon Smith must Go.
Pray for W and Our Troops
Hillary loves Kamikaze "Republicans" like you. You're helping her destroy the GOP. And when it's gone, and the Dems are in permanent power, all your hopes and dreams for security in the Middle East will mean nothing.
Yes, giving the Democrats the majority in the US Senate is the answer to our problems. Brilliant. //Sarc//
Great stuff. Thanks for the link.
“One might justifiably ask that same question about the American Congress.”
There’s a very big difference:
Iraq’s government is one that’s just coming into being.
While, as for the U.S. Congress, the more they’re in session, the more damage they do.
You quoted a lot of what “freedomdefender” had to say in an earlier post about Saddam... We crushed Saddams military with lightning speed - Bush said “mission accomplished”, etc. We gave Iraq the tools to set up a governmnet, which they did and held elections. In a sense, we won the Iraq war a long time ago.
It’s been 4 years now. We are not fighting the war on terror in Iraq, we are “nation building” as Bush said in 2000 he would never use our military for, remember? It doesn’t matter when we leave - they will create the goverment they want and the toughest militia will have the power... That’s the way those people are.
So, how long do we spend time, money, resources, manpower just to keep the peace between several warring factions in Iraq? All the while, terror groups ar forming in Latin America and recruiting right under our noses.
These weak-kneed RHINOs are pathetic - Victory is what will assure the GOP wins in 08 - Standing for Victory!
With that said the above is absolutely true - The WH has given up any PR authority simply because for 3 years they failed to respond!! - Now that option is gone with the segments of the public -
What the WH and RNC need to do (STAT!!) is get a WOT supporting 527 up and running - Touting our successes, touting WHY we are in this fight and WHY we must stay on the offensive....While at the same time showing the DEM leaderhip (and the MSM) for who they really are.
A creative, informative bi-weekly Ad campaign could turn public opinion (and have the DEMs on the run) in a relatively short time frame.
It is shameful that this WOT supporting 527 does not exist yet. The powers that be in the RNC are the one's who have to see it launched....(after that the grass-roots will help with funding)....This is what the DEMs have done with their wacko 527 groups...(going on 4 years ago now!!).
This whole episode is a great lesson in why loyalty to friends regarding things like WAR is a very very bad policy for a president.
In hindsight, this war was doomed to its current status by the shameful gagging of General Shinseki - the only guy at CENTCOM who insisted that Rumsfeld was flat out wrong in his troop estimates needed for the invasion and aftermath. He appeared before the Armed Services Committee and made the mistake of telling the Senate panel that we needed in excess of 350,000 boots on the ground to manage the aftermath and seal the borders. Since Rumsfeld had such a hard-on for the light-and-fast military he envisioned, Shinseki got shuffled out and labeled not a team player. In fact, General McKiernan had to fight tooth-and-nail to get the invasion/occupation force we ended up with!
The problem was, Bush couldn’t bring himself to tell Rumsfeld to stop interfering with CENTCOM by ramming the light-and-fast invasion plan down their throats when they clearly weren’t on board. Bush was a loyal friend, but his loyalty blinded his better judgment to compel Rumsfeld to listen to battlefield experience and accept that the weight of CENTCOM’s recommendations were foolish to ignore.
I know we all love Rummy and his impassioned stand on Afghanistan and his desire to take it to the enemy, but the facts can’t be ignored - if Rumsfeld went along with 250,000 - 300,000 troops as requested by CENTCOM, we wouldn’t be agonizing over a “surge”, and quite possibly, this thing would be over. The lack of personnel needed to manage the transition will undoubtedly go down as one of the great military debacles of our time. And the buck really does stop with the President. So, if you ask me, Bush has brought this on himself. Loyalty does have its bounds. If he knew where to draw the line, we would be celebrating instead of agonizing.
IMHO.
They didn't go anywhere... without the majority of the GOP which you call RINO's, the conservative minority doesn't have a platform to stand on. This whole thread shows how frustrated everyone is with the way things are being handled, because you're all turning on anyone who has the balls to look Bush in the eye and tell him things need to change.
If things don't change, you can watch the GOP in Congress shrink even farther. These congressmen may be doing you a big favor, and yes, they are trying to save their political tails. Do you want more Dem gains or what??
Also, those fireworks will start here as well not long after we leave Iraq.
Michael Frazier
All those who desert the President in this time of great troubles are deserting the men and women in the military and their country. I pray to God that these seditious lepers - no matter what party they come from - pay dearly for their treachery.
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