Not A Good Sign For Bush Military “Surge” Idea
This is NOT good news for President George Bush’s ability to garner the kind of political support he will need to get through the next two years:
Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., said today after a two-day trip to Iraq that he would not support an increase in the number of soldiers in Baghdad.He said he would “stand against” any effort to send a surge of more troops to Baghdad unless there’s a clear vision that it will help end sectarian violence in the city.
“I think it would create more targets. I think we would put more life at risk,” he said in a phone call with reporters from Bahrain. Coleman visited Baghdad, Fallujah, Taqaddum and Talil.
Coleman did support expanding the military, saying troops are currently stretched too thin and that a larger force is needed to fight the war on terrorism.
Coleman can’t be accused of having a liberal agenda or being a perpetual war critic. He came back from Iraq so part of his perspective is based on that. He may also be hearing from his constituents at home about their feelings about the war.
Regardless, it’s one more sign of the growing divide within the GOP itself over Bush’s war policy. The next two years — and events beyond anyone’s control — could accentuate this divide.
H/t Hinessight.
4 Responses to “Not A Good Sign For Bush Military “Surge” Idea”
It may be up to members of Congress to convince the president to accept the war’s reality. I’m glad Coleman is speaking out- It may take an intervention of sorts (the ISG didn’t do the trick) to convince Bush that a surge is not in anyone’s best interest right now.
I wonder if he and the war cabal have purposely shut out all bad news and focussed on the good, because they feel thats the only way its possible to win.
Or maybe Coleman is worried that he’ll lose his seat in 2008. The war is extremely unpopular in Minnesota. Like with Gordon Smith in Oregon and Susan Collins in Maine, expect these blue-state Repubicans to oppose any troop increase.
Yes, Elrod but that’s a positive thing. The only hold we have over politicians to change the policy is self-preservation. Bush is not up for re-election. He has surrounded himself with only those who agree with him, and refuses to allow the reality of the situation sink in. When Colin Powell, the JCS, Centcom Commander Abizaid, and members of his own party say sending more troops won’t help at this point- will in fact make things even worse- I believe them. Bush is in his own world and contradicts himself right and left. If Clinton had acted like this- what do you think Newt Gingrich would have done to him???
Nothing will help in Iraq so long as the security forces are so thoroughly compromised by Shiite militias. Muqtada Al Sadr holds too much power and this makes a government truly of all the Iraqi people impossible. Only a massive change in these factors will make a stable unified Iraq possible and they are something the United States cannot control and can barely influence in any way.