Leading Republican Senator Says Iraq Strategy Has Until Fall to Show Results

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Associated Press

Leading Republican Senator Says Iraq Strategy Has Until Fall to Show Results
05-07-2007 5:55 PM
By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (Associated Press) -- Senate Republican Whip Trent Lott said Monday that President Bush's new strategy in Iraq has until about fall before GOP members will need to see results.

Lott's comment put a fine point on what Senate Republican stalwarts have been discussing quietly for weeks. It also echoed remarks made this weekend by House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, indicating the GOP's limited patience on the war.

"I do think this fall we have to see some significant changes on the ground, in Baghdad and other surrounding areas," Lott, R-Miss., told reporters.

Lott declined to say what he thinks should happen if Congress does not see improvement in the security situation by then. But he said lawmakers have time before they must decide.

Read more: http://omaha.cox.net/cci/newsnational/national?_mode=view&_state=maximized&view=article&id=D8OVQTE04&_action=validatearticle

[rpannier]

1. At which time, if it hasn't worked

He has until Christmas

[fooj]

2. Blah, blah, blah...

What happened to a FEW MONTHS? They keep moving back the goalposts!

[krkaufman]

3. Ah, just one more F.U. n/t

[stilpist]

4. So, what? 600 more dead American soldiers?

And maybe 10,000 Iraqis? No biggy. None of them will be people that matter.

Republics have no fucking shame at all. None. :grr: :grr: :grr:

(edit for typo and to add "smilies.")

[AlCzervik]

5. Lott hates Bush, Lott shoots, maybe he scores one.

[karynnj]

6. Isn't that a deadline?

[Barrett808]

13. More importantly, it's an "artificial timetable" driven entirely by the US election cycle

A purely cynical delaying tactic, with no connection to events in Iraq.

Really vile.

[David Zephyr]

7. Isn't that a "timetable"? Jeez, what grand hypocrites these bastards are.

Grrrrrr.

[callous taoboy]

11. Really. "Benchmark arrest! Benchmark arrest!" n/t

[TheCowsCameHome]

8. "Until fall"? Bulletin: It already fell.

[IndianaGreen]

9. And when fall comes, the GOP and their Dems allies will tell us to wait until winter

When winter comes, they will tell us to wait until spring, and when spring comes, they will tell us to wait until summer.

Plan-B? The surge is Plan Y of a series of failed military strategies, including a handful of surges.

The war must be stopped now. Congress should do nothing! Let the money run out in July!

[Warren Stupidity]

10. It is yet another Freidman Unit adjustment. nt.

[David Zephyr]

20. "Six months"

How many times have we heard that? My all-time favorite was in 2001 when we were "informed" by military experts and Bushies that "we'll have Osama by Christmas". Ha!

[appleannie1]

12. Wasn't that basically what the bill said

that they claimed was almost treason?

[alfredo]

14. Fall of what year?

[Cant trust em]

15. Remember this day, ladies and germs

When fall comes and goes let's point to May 7, 2007 and say "Hey, what the hell happened!"

[Erika]

16. The GOP want to hand off the mess they created after the next

election. They made the mess but don't know how to clean it up, and hey, the Wealthy GOP donors are getting richbeyond what they believed possible. Don't look for W's war to end soon.

[Honeycombe8]

17. That's a pretty vague CYA. What results? What improvements?

Without specifics...come fall, all they have to say is ..."See? There are results here! There have been improvements!"

Sound familiar? I think it sounds a lot like, "We're making progress." What we've heard for five years, and counting.

For Pete's sake....no one in the administration has even said WHAT the goal of the surge is! What exactly are they trying to accomplish? And how exactly will we know when we're on the right track to that vague goal?

More of the same. More of the same.

But saying this now lets them tell their constituents that, "Hey, I was forceful and independent. I told the administration, we MUST see results. And by golly, we ARE making progress because of the surge."

[Erika]

18. Lott declined to say what should happen if there is no improvement by fall

Yeah, dump your damn president's war into the laps of someone else to clean up.

[aaronbees]

19. Come fall it'll be "until spring"

What utter bullshit from Lott.