by Michael S. Leonard
WASHINGTON, July 5—Senator Pete Domenici today voiced his opposition to the president’s Iraq strategy, joining the growing chorus of Republicans who have openly criticized the war in recent weeks, according to The New York Times. Though he refused to endorse the withdrawal plan advocated by Congressional Democrats, Mr. Domenici issued what amounts to an announcement of “no confidence” in the prosecution of the war that has become a signature issue of the Republican Party and its unpopular president.
“We cannot continue asking our troops to sacrifice indefinitely while the Iraqi government is not making measurable progress,” said Mr. Domenici, who is up for reelection in 2008.
The announcement follows by approximately a week similar statements by Senators Richard Lugar (R-Indiana) and George Voinovich (R-Ohio). Supporters of the war worry it may validate their concerns that Senator Lugar’s wavering could signal a coming tidal wave of Republican defections. Senators Lugar, Voinovich, and Domenici were all staunch war supporters before their recent statements, which began last week with a Lugar oration on the Senate floor.
In addition to Senators Lugar, Voinovich and Domenici, Senator John Warner of Virginia, former chair of the Armed Services Committee, has been a war critic since last fall. Like Mr. Domenici, Mr. Warner, whose criticism has been occasionally vocal but mainly subdued, is up for reelection next year.
The war poses a thorny political problem for Republicans, who lost their majorities in both houses of Congress last November in a stunning electoral defeat that voters and commentators alike have largely attributed to their affiliation with the Iraq war, which most Americans now consider a failed and expensive quagmire. Republicans facing reelection campaigns must try to distance themselves from President Bush on the war, but most seem reluctant to embrace the Democratic plan. Instead, they are trying to stake out some kind of middle ground, but it remains unclear exactly what they are proposing.
“I’m not calling for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq or a reduction in funding for our troops, but I am calling for a new strategy that will move our troops out of combat operations and on the path to continuing home,” Mr. Domenici said.
The timing of the recent announcements is significant. Congressional Democrats are preparing to reintroduce the war as a political issue next week, when a number of Pentagon appropriations bills will be up for a vote. The Democratic Party leadership is planning to tie the budget bills to their plan for a series of mandatory withdrawal deadlines, and mounting criticism of the war from such prominent and senior Republicans could provide political cover for a wave of defections by Republicans eager to rid themselves of the war issue.
Any bill to end the occupation and redeploy the bulk of U.S. troops would likely have to be a compromise in order to ensure the bipartisan support necessary to override a presidential veto. But many Democrats, who recently capitulated to a veto on a supplemental spending bill that included withdrawal deadlines, have expressed optimism that they could be working toward a veto-proof bloc of antiwar votes as Republicans continue to break ranks with President Bush.
“Beginning with the defense authorization bill next week, Republicans will have the opportunity to not just say the right things on Iraq, but vote the right way, too, so that we can bring the responsible end to this war that the American people demand and deserve,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada).
Still, some antiwar Democrats have expressed skepticism about the sincerity of the Republican criticism. They worry that they may not have the Republican support they need to end the war, even with significant concessions. Senators Lugar, Voinovich, and Domenici have refused to embrace withdrawal dates but have opposed an open-ended occupation. This contradiction, coupled with the vagueness of the criticism, has led to some accusations that the defections amount to an empty political ploy, an attempt to dissociate the Republican brand from the war in time for next year’s election without actually taking concrete measures to end it.
Senator Domenici may be particularly vulnerable in 2008 because of his affiliation with the United States attorney scandal engulfing the Justice Department. Domenici is reported to have consulted with presidential advisor Karl Rove regarding the ouster of U.S. attorney David Iglesias after he refused to pursue politically motivated accusations against a prominent Democrat, calling them baseless. Domenici has denied any wrongdoing.
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Great article and I think the quote from this article that I have included with this post is the reason behind the change in direction. I suppose, when you are running for re-election, distance in this case has its merits.