GOP unity to be tested when Senate debate on binding Iraq resolution begins Wednesday

[ProSense]

Iraq Debate Will Test GOP Senators' Unity

Siding With Bush Instead of American Public on War Could Damage Party at Polls

By Dan Balz and Shailagh Murray
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, March 14, 2007; A04

With the Senate poised for a showdown on Iraq today, Republicans along the campaign trail and on Capitol Hill appear trapped between their loyalty to President Bush and growing fears about the war's impact on the party's political fortunes.

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The party's quandary comes as the Senate prepares to begin debate today on a Democratic resolution that calls for withdrawing U.S. forces by March 31, 2008, something Democratic leaders describe as a goal, not a firm deadline. Whatever peril the resolution carries for Democrats, the debate will provide a public test of Republican unity.

The lack of debate inside the Republican Party reflects not just loyalty to the president but also a belief that Bush's policies still offer a chance for success in Iraq, GOP officials said. But that has done little to calm growing fears that Republicans will be punished politically unless there is a dramatic improvement in the course of the war and Americans' perceptions about it.

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The decision to proceed with debate in the Senate was a significant shift by GOP leaders. Last month, Republicans used parliamentary tactics to block the Senate from debating a nonbinding resolution opposing Bush's plan to send more troops. This time, Democrats are back with a different measure: binding language that would restrict military actions in Iraq. But Republicans have decided to let that debate proceed -- at least for now.

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For many Republicans, the stalemate is deeply frustrating, signaling that the party places loyalty to Bush ahead of addressing what has become voters' paramount concern.

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[ProSense]

1. Kick n/t

[sutz12]

2. My ass......the Repubs got nothing to lose.....

It's the Democrats that are walking the thin line here. The natives is gettin' restless. :evilgrin:

[ProSense]

3. Tell that to Lincoln Chaffee.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record), D-Nev., has scheduled a vote on the resolution sponsored by Biden and Sen. Carl Levin (news, bio, voting record), D-Mich. Only a handful of Republicans are expected to support the bill, which would seek to bring almost all U.S. troops home by March 31, 2008 while leaving a residual force to help train and equip Iraqi troops and participate in counter-terror operations.

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I will not believe Republicans plan to vote on this until they actually do, but things are not working in their favor.