Washington, NU Online
Senior lawmakers in President George W. Bush’s own Republican Party are rebelling over the Iraq war and Americans are fed up with it, but Bush has bluntly said he will not heed their calls for a pullout — at least not now.
Whether he is resolute or stubborn, Bush may well have bought himself two more months to press ahead with his war strategy, but no matter how much he insists he will not back down, analysts say he may be forced to by September.<>
Mid-September is the deadline for a broad report assessing the troop buildup Bush ordered at the start of this year. Only a few weeks ago, the White House was playing that down as a mere progress report, although the president lately has signaled he is aware that it is pivotal.
“September seems to be the make or break date,” said Ross Baker, a political scientist at Rutgers University.
Even with senior Republicans such as Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar breaking ranks with Bush over Iraq, there is no consensus yet between anti-war Democrats and Republican skeptics on legislative proposals to try to change the war strategy.
That could change by September.
Lugar and Sen. John Warner of Virginia, two of the Republican Party’s most respected voices on national security, have offered a proposal to require Bush to draft a plan for a possible troop pullout to begin by the end of the year.
But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , a Nevada Democrat, was wary of embracing it, with his spokesman saying it allowed Bush too much leeway to decide whether to change course. (reu/dar)
Senior lawmakers in President George W. Bush’s own Republican Party are rebelling over the Iraq war and Americans are fed up with it, but Bush has bluntly said he will not heed their calls for a pullout — at least not now.
Whether he is resolute or stubborn, Bush may well have bought himself two more months to press ahead with his war strategy, but no matter how much he insists he will not back down, analysts say he may be forced to by September.<>
Mid-September is the deadline for a broad report assessing the troop buildup Bush ordered at the start of this year. Only a few weeks ago, the White House was playing that down as a mere progress report, although the president lately has signaled he is aware that it is pivotal.
“September seems to be the make or break date,” said Ross Baker, a political scientist at Rutgers University.
Even with senior Republicans such as Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar breaking ranks with Bush over Iraq, there is no consensus yet between anti-war Democrats and Republican skeptics on legislative proposals to try to change the war strategy.
That could change by September.
Lugar and Sen. John Warner of Virginia, two of the Republican Party’s most respected voices on national security, have offered a proposal to require Bush to draft a plan for a possible troop pullout to begin by the end of the year.
But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , a Nevada Democrat, was wary of embracing it, with his spokesman saying it allowed Bush too much leeway to decide whether to change course. (reu/dar)
