Senate Won't Back Surge

The Senate is backing a non-binding resolution to oppose Bush's Iraq surge.

The non-binding resolution, which was also gaining interest from a second Republican senator, would symbolically put the Senate on record as saying the U.S. commitment in Iraq "can only be sustained" with popular support among the American public and in Congress.

"I will do everything I can to stop the president's policy as he outlined it Wednesday night," said Sen. Chuck Hagel (news, bio, voting record), a Nebraska Republican and potential 2008 presidential candidate, who joined Democrats at a press conference on the resolution.

"I think it is dangerously irresponsible," Hagel said.

The article goes on to say that Stephen Hadley is trying to maintain Rove-like discipline over the Republican dissenters. That only works when the President as an above 50 percent approval rating and control of both Houses. Hadley's tough talk is about as threatening as a warm glass of milk.

Taz points out that the surge is just dé·jà vu. The United States had 150,000 troop in Iraq during late 2005. Bush wishes to bring the numbers up to slightly higher than the 2005 levels. Besides the fact that these extra troops don't exist; it's hard to imagine that troop numbers that didn't work in 2005 will magically work now. The President isn't helping himself with his current sales pitch.

LEHRER: Let me ask you a bottom-line question, Mr. President. If it is as important as you've just said -- and you've said it many times -- as all of this is, particularly the struggle in Iraq, if it's that important to all of us and to the future of our country, if not the world, why have you not, as president of the United States, asked more Americans and more American interests to sacrifice something?....

PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, you know, I think a lot of people are in this fight. I mean, they sacrifice peace of mind when they see the terrible images of violence on TV every night.

Our President thinks watching news events counts as sacrifice. This isn't surprising. We are talking about a man who has never sacrificed anything in his life. Losing a Congressional race and being grounded by the National Guard don't count for sacrifices. The latter would give a better man pause about sending other peoples' children off to battle.