Washington – President Bush told Iraq’s prime minister on Monday he has no plans to pull U.S. forces out of the war- torn country, in a conversation that underscored Iraqi worries that the president is being pressured to curtail America’s role in the widely unpopular war.
In a 15-minute morning phone call, Bush told Nouri al-Maliki that rumors of a withdrawal of troops in two months were untrue and that the United States would stand strong with its new ally. But even as Bush reassured al-Maliki, he is having to confront growing doubts among Republicans in Congress about his war policies.
A small but growing group of GOP lawmakers, including Senate Armed Services Committee chairman John Warner, R-Va., have suggested a change in course may be necessary. Warner could provide political cover for other GOP members to challenge Bush on Iraq because he is normally a Bush loyalist and a respected leader on national security issues.
Also providing ammunition for lawmakers unhappy over Iraq – and potential political cover – should be recommendations expected by an independent commission after next month’s congressional elections. Former GOP Secretary of State James A. Baker III, a leader of that panel, has said the group will recommend options for changing course in Iraq.
Leon Panetta, a member of the panel and President Clinton’s former chief of staff, said the panel hopes to present Congress its findings by January. Among the options being considered are whether to set a timetable for withdrawal and whether to solicit help from Iran and Syria to stop the fighting, but “the study group has made no decisions,” he said.
By then, there could be enough Republican defections to produce the biggest challenge yet by Congress to Bush’s policy in Iraq – even if the GOP retains control of the House and Senate.
“The war is a 100-pound albatross hanging on the necks of Republicans,” said Norman Ornstein, a political scholar with the American Enterprise Institute.
A spike in American casualties in Iraq in recent weeks, as ethnic violence there spirals ever more out of control, has only served to increase the likelihood that Republicans will increasingly question Bush’s policies in the war. At least 58 Americans have died there in the first two weeks of October, a pace that, if continued, would make the month the worst for coalition forces since 107 U.S. soldiers died in January 2005.
According to polls, Bush’s support on Iraq among Republicans is soft. While three-fourths of Republicans say they approve of his handling of the war, fewer than half say they strongly approve and three in 10 either have mixed feelings or disapprove.
In contrast, three out of four Democrats disapprove strongly, according to AP-Ipsos polling.
Political experts see next month’s elections as a turning point in Congress’ oversight of the war, because it may be read as a litmus test for voters’ support of Bush. GOP lawmakers will be more likely to challenge the president’s policies on the war if they win by a slim margin or are forced to hand control to Democrats, especially as Bush slips further into lame-duck status during his final two years in office.
Concerned that U.S. support was faltering, al-Maliki told Bush “that rumors sometimes can undercut confidence in the government and also its ability to work effectively in fighting terror,” said Bush spokesman Tony Snow. “And the president said, ‘Don’t worry, you still have our full support,”‘ Snow added.
