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Republican STALL of debates on NON-BINDING resolutions is HELPING Democrats
NOTE: The underlined names of other publications are hyperlinked in the article at the source.
U.S. News & World Report
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_070207.htm
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
WASHINGTON NEWS
GOP Losing Another PR War?
The day after Senate Republicans effectively blocked debate on an anti-"surge" resolution, some in the caucus are growing increasingly alarmed over indications that they are losing the public relations battle to the Democrats.
The Los Angeles Times says that although Republicans continue "to insist...that they simply want a fair debate," by yesterday some Republicans were concerned "the public would misunderstand their stance."
The Capitol Hill publication Roll Call describes a concerned Senate Republican leadership yesterday struggling "to shift their focus away from complaints about parliamentary procedure and onto which party is best supporting the troops." Republicans, adds Roll Call, "found themselves on the losing end of the public relations fight as they woke up to headlines across the country pinning the blame squarely on them. 'It doesn't matter what's going on the floor. It's all about media,' one senior GOP aide said Tuesday."
The Washington Times reports Senate minority leader Sen. Mitch McConnell previously insisted he won't "allow a vote on the resolution of no confidence" without a vote on two other resolutions. One, authored by Sen. McCain, "would endorse the 'surge' plan but set benchmarks for Iraqi self-governance." Another GOP-backed resolution, sponsored by Sen. Judd Gregg, "would promise not to cut funding for the war." By late yesterday, McConnell changed his position and "offered to allow the [Warner] resolution to go forward in exchange for a vote on the 'no funding cutoff' resolution only."
But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, says USA Today, told McConnell "negotiations are over."
And The Hill reports that as Senate Democrats "seek votes on capping troop numbers and funding for Iraq, they may use the pending bill on the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission as a vehicle."
The Wall Street Journal reports that McConnell's strategy to get senators "on record against withholding funds for the war" has "the quiet backing of the White House."
But according to the Washington Post, Bush strategists "have been surprised by how quickly the politics of the war have shifted in the past few weeks, and they have been grappling for a strategy to contain the political damage. The White House privately believes that a statement of opposition by Congress may be inevitable." And some advisers "have been surprised that Bush has not more aggressively accused Democrats of advocating retreat."
Yet in a front-page analysis piece, the New York Times noted that "a surprising number of Republicans showed they were not yet ready to abandon the president even though many blame him for their November election losses and worry he will hurt them again next year."
Fox News' Special Report reported "Senate Democrats label the GOP move a distraction from the debate they find more politically advantageous," and yesterday they "appeared content with another story line 'Republicans blocking debate on the new Iraq plan.'" On the other hand, Chris Matthews, on MSNBC's Hardball noted the morning's headlines blaming GOP obstructionism for the end of the debate and asked, "Is this political gamesmanship for 2008? Public pressure on Congress to take action on the war couldn't be higher. But where was the courage of senators' convictions?"
The DC insider publication The Politico, meanwhile, reports the liberal group MoveOn.org "will begin airing attack ads as early as Wednesday against eight Republican senators who blocked debate on the Bush administration's plan for a troop surge in Iraq. The ads "specifically target" Sens Sam Brownback, John Sununu, Gordon Smith, and John Warner. The Politico notes Sununu, Smith and Warner "face re-election in 2008," while Brownback "is up again in 2010."
NYTimes Blames Democrats
Support for the GOP line, surprisingly, comes from the New York Times editorial page this morning. Says the Times, "The right way for the Senate to debate Iraq is to debate Iraq, not to bar proposals from the floor because they might be passed. The majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, needs to call a timeout and regroup."
House To Take Up Anti-Surge Resolution
USA Today reports House Democratic leaders scheduled three days of debate on an anti-surge resolution. The House's action "will guarantee that the president's Iraq policy will remain at the top of the national agenda next week, even if procedural disputes prevent the Senate from voting on its own resolution." The Washington Post adds that House Democrats "had intended to work with" the Warner resolution, but, "after assessing the morass on the other side of the Capitol, they are now considering a more narrow statement of objection to Bush's proposal." According to Roll Call, the language of the House measure "is being crafted by House Foreign Affairs Chairman Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) and Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.)." The AP reports Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer yesterday "reassured lawmakers clamoring for more robust action that the vote would merely be the first attempt to pressure the president to shift course and that future legislation will be binding."
Gates Says Iraq Surge Not Final Option
The Los Angeles Times reports that appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary Robert Gates "rejected the widely held view in Washington that the Bush administration's decision to send additional troops to Iraq is the last chance to succeed in that troubled country." Gate said, "I would be irresponsible if I weren't thinking about what the alternatives might be."
Petraeus Helped Stall Surge Critics
The Washington Post reports in a front page story that before Gen. David Petraeus left for Iraq, he "conducted one last counterinsurgency mission here on the home front -- this one on Capitol Hill." Senators were "approached on the floor and urged to meet with" Petraeus in Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's office. At a time "when the president and most of his top surrogates have lost credibility even among many Republicans in Congress, the administration has turned to the chiseled, widely respected Petraeus to win the day."
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