Posted on 06/27/2007 2:37:43 PM PDT by stockpirate
One of America's most influential Republicans rounded on George Bush over Iraq yesterday, saying the "surge" begun in February had little chance of success.
Richard Lugar, senior Republican on the Senate's foreign relations committee, said the war put vital US interests in the Middle East at risk and could end in disaster unless a coherent withdrawal plan for US forces was agreed "very soon".
Mr Lugar had previously been a supporter of the action. In a sign of spreading rebellion another Republican senator, George Voinovich, backed him last night. "We must not abandon our mission, but we must begin a transition where the Iraqi government and its neighbors play a larger role," he said.
Another party figure, Senator John Warner, predicted more top Republicans would soon desert Mr Bush. "You'll be hearing a number of statements from colleagues after the July 4 holiday," he said.
"In my judgment the current surge strategy is not effective," Mr Lugar told the Senate. "It relies on military power to achieve goals that it cannot achieve, and it lacks domestic support. The political fragmentation in Iraq, the growing stress on our military, and the constraints of our own domestic political process, are converging to make it impossible for the US to engineer a stable, multi-sectarian government in Iraq in a reasonable timeframe."
In this context, he added, "our security interests call for a downsizing and redeployment of US forces ... A course change should happen now, while there is still some possibility of constructing a sustainable bipartisan Iraq strategy."
Harry Reid, Democrat majority leader in the Senate, praised Mr Lugar's speech as "courageous" saying it was an historic turning point .
Senator Joe Biden, a Democrat presidential candidate, said it was a "watershed". He predicted a dozen or more Republicans would also jump ship because, like Mr Lugar, they now accepted Mr Bush's policy was "an abject failure".
Mr Reid will test Republican support for Mr Bush's policy next month by forcing a series of votes on a withdrawal deadline, a funding cut-off, and restricting the length of combat tours. Until now only a handful of lesser-known Republicans in the House of Representatives have dared to publicly challenge Mr Bush's conduct of the war. But latest polls suggest that 38% of Republican voters now support a withdrawal, and pressure on the party's elected politicians is beginning to tell.
The White House last night described Mr Lugar as a "thoughtful man" but asked him and other critics to be patient as the surge unfolds.
The only problem is that our troops in the field will be left with their collective asses hanging out over this.
I am not sure what party I belong to now but I’m pretty sure I am done being a Republican for a while. Based on the insanity of the left however I will still have to hold my nose and vote “R.” The wallet will remain closed though.
I think I understand your point of view.
“Bush deserves everything he gets at this point, I am sick of him.”
Our Nation and our Troops do NOT!
LLS
Hold on a sec:
1. The troops are still in the early stages of the “Surge”, and don’t deserve to be kicked yet again.
2. Beyond immigration stupidity, where exactly has the president been so horrible? It is a huge issue in itself, I don’t deny that, but I hope you aren’t folding like a cheap suit about the WOT just because you’re pissed about one issue.
I do NOT support his blind-spot endorsement of the immigration farce, but I still respect his backbone on the War, the reduction of our taxes, his anti-abortion stance, etc. People are getting ALL of their emotions wrapped up around the Amnesty that they’re dragging everything else into it.
How many of our “great” leaders put their lives on the line for this country? It looks to me, not many. The ones who will catch whatever the Arabs throw at them will be the troops, not the great members of our senate. In the Air Force we had a name for cowards like our senate. I never used it, but I heard the guys use it. The first word is chicken..............
Mealy mouths, Lugar and Voinovich, trying to have it both ways at one time. We will not abandon the mission, but we will withdraw from the mission. But the mission goes forward. But without us.
I can see these guys in 1943 pronouncing that the current strategy is not working, Germany has not yet surrendered, the Europeans need to step up and shoulder more of the responsibility for their own countries. We’ll re-deploy to somewhere safer in the meantime.
The question isn’t whether or not the “surge” is working, the question is do you have the will to fight. Do you have the will to stay in the fight until the other side loses the will to fight. Are you prepared to do what it takes to make them lose the will to fight. Are you prepared to deal with the consequences of an enemy victory. Do you have a grasp of what those consequences might be. The rest is just fluff.
LEt me also say that my ire more squarely rests on the Republican congresspeople vote-whoring themselves with the immigration garbage. I’d like to line all of them up and slap them. With an anvil.
The Demos ramrodding this thing through abuse of procedure? I can’t really say what I would do to THEM... bastards.
You are right, and the wallet remains shut, The country is going to go to hell before I support these country club Republicans. Real Americans have had it stuck right up their a*s by this current congressional group claiming to represent us, as well as the troops. We need a way to weed these clowns out, prior to them being selected by some party hack, and then support them regardless of where they come from.
To offer anything less is a disgrace of the highest order.
I think it is time for the folks in uniform , from the highest rank to the lowest , to stand up and speak out AGAINST these
ill informed , self absorbed politicians and political leaders
of both partys that are questioning their mission.
Tell it like it is guys !
I don’t understand our President’s insistence on an Shamenesty bill going through. It’s beyond my comprehension. Especially a shamenesty bill that allows the illegal immigrants to bring in their family, their in-laws, grandparents etc and etc. The Europeans weren’t allowed that, plus they had to learn English, according to this bill, will they learn English or live in enclaves where each speaks their own language. Divide and Conquer, I’m afraid.
Supporting the troops and our nation does not mean I have to support the Traitor in Chief.
Sorry, I’m off course here, with the previous post.
I agree, with the mission, we should stay the course until we WIN. Unfortunately we have too few people in the senate and the house who have never put their lives in harms way for this country. They “serve”, yep, safely behind barriers of concrete, are driven to work in heavy suvs. “Visit our troops under heavy guard. Receives a salary and perks which far exceed our members of the military.
AND NOW, they want us to pull out of Iraq, just like we did in Vietnam. We have just begun to purge the Iraqi citizens of their terrorcompliment and our elected servants want us to bring the troops home. It’s insane! Our military needs to WIN.
“Beyond immigration stupidity, where exactly has the president been so horrible”
1. Immigration reform.
2. SS benefits to that border country.
3. Failure to have Congress make his tax cuts perm.
4. Pricription Drug transfer of wealth.
5. The first of his two coices for SCOTUS. YOu remember, the ones that freaked the base out and were withdrawn.
Words well said my friend.....
“Bush deserves everything he gets at this point, I am sick of him.”
You are right. He might as well sign a stem cell bill and support abortion.
Didn’t some assclown say several weeks ago the surge wasn’t working before it started and we didn’t have all the troops over there yet? Now the operation has just begun, appears successful so far, and new surrender monkeys step forward. It’s becoming more and more obvious as time and success goes on that all the slime bags that are on the take of Arab (oil) influence and favors will stab their own country in the back just to appease the influence. Apparently, a great many are very nervous about the September success check too. I’m afraid when we elect someone new, all we can do is step back and see whether or not they will sell us and themselves out. I don’t see this as a political topic, even though there are other decisions Bush has made I don’t agree with, this is a case of the security and future of the U.S. and the world war on Radical Islam. Lugar reminds me of that Iraqi who held his white boxer shorts up for the Predator that was acting as a FO for the artillery.
There needs to be more passion on winning this WOT and less passion on rewarding illegal aliens. This could cost us support in Iraq by the American people.
Yeah, but the Iraqis deserve better.
Well, I agree but unfortunately active duty military folks are not allowed to. They are only allowed to vote not to question or comment, and hell, many states don’t even count their absentee votes.
I agree.
LLS
Right, but the Troops need us to support them and the Mission... the shape of our future will be directly affected by it.
LLS
I agree with you also... I disagree with the President on Amnesty, “domestic” $pending and “new tone”. These are his biggest failures to date. The WOT and both fronts have my full and complete support.
LLS
Geeze: #1 AND #2 are part of the same issue.
Geeze Again: #3 is not all up to him. Ask the congresscritters.
No Geeze: The whole drug industry bit sucks, and I too wish he would keep on OUR side of the fence.
Geeze One More Time: #5 still bothers you? It didn’t come to pass did it? He did listen then, didn’t he?
I agree, it is a puzzlement.
It’s worth breaking a few rules to avoid this .
I will support them 100% if they want to .
Use YouTube!
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