I think we are headed for something akin to the Saturnday night Massacre

[Perky]

On top of the defiance of Congress on the US Attron Inquiry subpoenas. The House of cards on the the Senate side on Iraq is crumbling.


GOP Senators Call for Iraq Change Now

By ANNE FLAHERTY
Associated Press Writer



WASHINGTON (AP) -- Several Republican senators told President Bush's top national security aide privately Wednesday that they did not want Bush to wait until September to change course in Iraq.

The meeting that lawmakers had with national security adviser Stephen Hadley came as GOP Sens. Olympia Snowe and Chuck Hagel announced they would back Democratic legislation ordering combat to end next spring.

Republican support for the war has steadily eroded in recent weeks as the White House prepared an interim progress report that found that the U.S.-backed government in Baghdad has made little progress in meeting major targets of reform.

Of the GOP lawmakers who say the U.S. should reduce its military role in Iraq, nearly all are up for re-election in 2008.

"I'm hopeful they (the White House) change their minds," said Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M.

Domenici and at least five other Republicans support a bill by Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., that would adopt as U.S. policy the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group Report.

The bipartisan panel, led by Republican James A. Baker III and Democrat Lee Hamilton, said the U.S. should hand off the combat mission to the Iraqis, bolster diplomatic efforts in the region and pave the way for a drawdown of troops by spring 2008.

Domenici, who is expected to face voters next year, said he and other co-sponsors told Hadley the president shouldn't wait until September to adopt the bipartisan policy.

"The only difference of opinion at the moment is, the president wants to deal with the Baker-Hamilton recommendations in September," said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., one of the first GOP co-sponsors.

"I think he should do that today because it develops a long-term strategy for what happens in the surge," added Alexander, who also is up for re-election. "It would put him and Congress on the same path, which is what we definitely need."

Members said Hadley did not indicate the White House would switch gears. Bush this week said he will not reconsider the military strategy in Iraq until Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. military commander there, delivers his progress report in September.

"He was not in a position to do anything other than say 'I hear you,' " Domenici said of Hadley.

Other Republicans at the meeting did not call for immediate change, but offered tepid support for the current policy.

Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota said he was seriously considering Salazar's legislation and remained gravely concerned about the lack of progress in Iraq.

"I'm still in the same place, and I don't think there were any hearts or minds changed in there," Coleman said upon leaving the meeting.

Sen. John Warner, R-Va., who also attended the meeting, is expected to call for a change in Iraq policy after Bush releases on Thursday that interim report on Baghdad's political progress.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a staunch supporter of Bush's Iraq policies, said he and many others would stick behind Bush. But "obviously everyone was concerned, and we're trying to figure out what the answer is," he said.

[BOSSHOG]

1. What? No recent comments from Senator Vitter about Iraq??

He must have other priorities.

Yeah, those wacky republican senators are really sweating out the 08 elections. Pretty soon they'll be pot smoking peaceniks.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. I agree.

It's coming to a head.

[madokie]

3. we have a majority of Americans saying we should remove ourselves

not mentioning the ones throughout the rest of the world. we are going to have to lose 3 or 4 or whatever the number is a day until spring before they stop this, that is insane. Its pretty clear we can't invade and occupy a sovereign nation and get by with it and rightly so.

[frogcycle]

4. I agree

but it will make Nixon's hissy fit look tame

Nixon canned people in the Executive branch. this sock puppet doesn't have issues with them - he's got gonzales' mouth firmly affixed to his privates.

Only if Gates were to bolt and side with Congress and/or the generals against bush would we have that scenario

Otherwise, it is a much bigger showdown because it is across branches of the govt

What people don't seem to get when they say that taking the ep claims through the courts will take years is that that does not need to be. Congress can precipitate an emergency. The SCOTUS cleared the decks to hear the florida vote case, and they can do so if it is elevated enough.

That might mean sending the Sgt at Arms to arrest Meirs, but if that's what it takes, they'd better damned well do it. And when they do, that is when bushcheney will pop his cork. He is fundamentally a bully, and won't take it lying down. He'll try to counter using "his boys" and the Constitutional crisis is then upon us - full metal jacket. Ideally, once he makes an outrageous move, removing him will then be swift and (largely) unopposed. It just needs to include both bodies that the bushcheney demon inhabits

[Swamp Rat]

5. The Enablers are getting scared. n/t