7-02-07, 9:21 am

Growing public opposition to Bush's Iraq war policies pushed a handful of Republican Senators this past week to express disapproval of Bush's war in Iraq. Their remarks came as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that the Senate would take up a number of bills on changing course in Iraq next week.

Republican Senators Richard Lugar (IN) and George Voinovich (OH) broke with Bush's war policy and indicated they could not wait until September to see if Bush's surge is working. Sen. John Warner (VA) praised Lugar's remarks and called for more debate.

These developments came as US troops killed in action in June rose to 101, unofficially, pushing the total number of troops killed in Iraq to about 3580, pending confirmation. Almost 500 troops have been killed since the surge began in January with thousands wounded. The period of the surge has been one of the bloodiest of the war since Bush declared 'mission accomplished' in May 2003. Most reports show that the surge has not stemmed the civil in Iraq.

Peace groups welcomed the Senators' remarks, but also expressed skepticism.

Tom Andrews, national director of Win Without War, described the statements as reflecting the views of the vast majority of Americans, but insisted they are meaningless unless the Senators turn their words into votes on legislative measures that would bring the troops home.

'We need to see whether they will translate their words into votes when amendments to the Defense Authorization bill come to Congress in July,” said Andrews in a press statement last week.

Win Without War released a poll in which 65 percent of New Hampshire voters indicated that they wanted their Senators to oppose the Bush Iraq policy and vote to bring the troops home within twelve months.

According to a Win Without War press release, similar polling results were tallied in Maine, and a new poll is planned for Minnesota. All three states are represented by Republican Senators (Susan Collins [ME], Norm Coleman [MN], and John Sununu [NH]) who face tough re-election campaigns next year due to their stance on Iraq.

Win Without War supports amendments to the Defense Authorization bill that would immediately begin the safe and orderly exit of all U.S. forces from Iraq as well as remove all permanent U.S. military bases.

Americans Against the Escalation in Iraq (AAEI) echoed these sentiments.

“Americans Against Escalation in Iraq is encouraged that Senator Warner wants to change President Bush’s Iraq war policy before September, but we urge Senator Warner, Senator Lugar and their colleagues to turn that talk into action,” said AAEI spokesperson Moira Mack in a press statement.

Brian Katulis, a national security expert at the Center for American Progress, went so far as to suggest that the remarks of these three Senators reordered the debate on Bush's Iraq war policy. 'Senator Lugar's speech renders the September reports from General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker irrelevant,' said Katulis.

In his view, this fact means that Republican Senators who have pledged to wait until September before breaking with the Bush administration must rethink their positions.

Brigadier General John Johns supported Katulis' argument and said that we need not wait until September to draw conclusions about how badly the surge has failed.

Retired Army Lt. General and former Iraq war commander John Batiste told a congressional panel last week that “The so-called surge really amounts to nothing more than a minor reinforcement, a number which represents all that our military could muster.” Batiste has sharply criticized Bush's war policy and has urged redeployment out of Iraq.

Jon Soltz, an Iraq war veteran and founder of noted, 'These Senators and the others to come must back their words up with action. They must vote the right way, or they'll just be paying lip service to the needs of those who are risking their lives in service to America.'

Tom Matzzie, the Washington Director of Political Action and the campaign manager for AAEI pledged to intensify media pressure on Republican Senators to vote to bring the troops home.

'We are using a blend of cutting edge online organizing, paid and earned media, old school grass roots organizing, volunteer operations, sign waving and bird-dogging to give members of Congress a choice: vote to end the war or face political extinction,' said Matzzie.

Brad Woodhouse, president of Americans United for Change, called on Republican Senators to 'put the reality on the ground in Iraq ahead of loyalty to President Bush and call for the responsible redeployment of our fighting men and women out off harm's way.'

He added, 'In less than 24 hours two of the most respected Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and two of President Bush's biggest backers in Congress, have declared his Iraq policy an abysmal failure and have said responsibly withdrawing U.S. troops is the only viable alternative left.'

With a growing split in the Senate Republican ranks on the war, all eyes have turned to other Republicans to side with the nearly 7 in 10 Americans who want the war to end. Sens. Olympia Snowe (ME), Arlen Specter (PA), Mitch McConnell (KY), Pete Domenici (NM), Judd Gregg (NH), and Chuck Grassley (IA) are all on the hot seat for their unquestioning support of Bush Iraq war policy.

Majority Leader Reid announced that measure to change the Iraq war policy will be dealt with as part of the debate over the Defense Reauthorization Bill, which will come up for debate and vote after the July 4th recess.

The Senate will hold four votes on reduction of troops in Iraq: 1) to begin to bring troops home within four months of passage of the bill; 2) impose tough guidelines on troop readiness; 3) cut off funding for the war; 4) repeal congressional authorization for the war and establish a limited mission in Iraq.

Most observers say these measures are mostly symbolic and will not pass unless 10 Republicans decide to turn their words into a vote for the right thing. Staunch Republican supporters of the war have pledged to filibuster these measures, and 60 votes are needed to force the measure onto the floor of the Senate for an up or down vote.

Another bipartisan bill, introduced in the Senate by Republican Lamar Alexander (TN) and Democrat Ken Salazar (CO), calls for the implementation of the Iraq Study Group recommendations. According to the Friends National Committee on Legislation, this bill, while imperfect, would expand diplomatic efforts, legislate eventual troop withdrawal (no timeline), shift the US military mission from combat to training, pursue internal talks to end sectarian strife, and boost reconstruction efforts.

Senator Reid has not put this bill on the calendar for debate in the Senate.

--Joel Wendland is managing editor of Political Affairs and can be reached at