White House Gears Up to Sell Plan for Troop Increase in Iraq

[rodeodance]

I fear the WH will get its way again.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/09/world/middleeast/09prexy.html?pagewanted=print

January 9, 2007
White House Gears Up to Sell Plan for Troop Increase in Iraq

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 — The White House is planning an aggressive effort to sell Congress and the American public on President Bush’s new strategy for Iraq, beginning with a prime-time address to the nation on Wednesday night, followed Thursday by a presidential trip to Fort Benning, Ga., and appearances on Capitol Hill by the secretaries of state and defense.

With Democrats vowing to oppose any plan to send more troops to Iraq, and some Republicans openly skeptical, Mr. Bush and his aides are already in the thick of an intense sales pitch. It began on Monday, when the president had back-to-back meetings with Republican senators, urging them to hear him out before passing judgment on his plan.

The sessions stood in stark contrast to the bipartisan meetings Mr. Bush held with lawmakers on Friday. Senators attending those sessions said that Mr. Bush was careful not to reveal his thinking about whether he was committed to the plan to increase troops. By Monday, though, he made his intentions clear.

“It was clear that he has thought long and hard about this change in strategy,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, who supports the troop increase. “He emphasized that this is not just about more troops. That’s just one small component of it. It’s a change in economic, military and political strategy.”

White House officials ..............

[JohnnyLib2]

1. The next avalanche story--

needs to be about massive mail and email to Congress opposing this.

[Sherman A1]

2. Agreed

I have already emailed my Missouri Republican Senator Kit Bond, who was reported as being "skeptical" of the value of a troop surge doing any good in the Saturday Post-Dispatch. I almost hurts me to agree with him, as I really can't stand him at all, but ya do what ya gotta do. If he's against the surge, then at least he is right on this point and needs to hear that.

[rodeodance]

4. yes, both Repug and Dem congresscritters need to hear from all

of us.

[aquart]

5. He absolutely does.

I expect he'll be pathetically grateful for any crumb of approval. Republicans are feeling lonely and confused and horribly unwanted these days.

[Sherman A1]

3. Nothing wrong with including the White House

in that avalanche as well. They are just an email away.... I will wait until after the speech on Wednesday to hear the entire "half baked" excuse for a plan, but they will also hear from me.

[aquart]

6. Yes, a nice avalanche of No Sale after the silly speech.