This was just brought to my attention:
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a pivotal Republican vote in the U.S. Senate on Iraq policy, is willing to give the government of Iraq until Christmas to get its act together.
But not much more.
Graham told TIME Wednesday that the Iraqi leaders have 90 days to start resolving their political differences with real legislative agreements or face a change in strategy by the U.S. "If they can’t do it in 90 days," he said, "it means the major players don’t want to." …
I’m going to see if I can get ahold of Lindsey for some elaboration…
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If you want elaboration, start with the fact that he’s up for election next year. The whole “blame the Iraqis” scheme has been in the works for several months as the pro-war hawks realized we cannot win in Iraq.
Declare victory, blame the Iraqis, go home. That’s the Republican strategy to try and save some seats in Congress next year.
Or maybe Lindsey needs the troops at home to help protect sanctuary cities and employers of illegal immigrants?
So you think Lindsey sits up nights thinking of ways he can help the Republican Party achieve partisan advantage?
From what I’ve seen, there are a whole lot of Republicans who would doubt that.
The fact is, Doug, Sen. Graham goes with what he thinks is right, and to hell with the fortunes of the party if they lie in the way. That’s what I admire about him, and what so many Republicans hate about him.
Whether it’s a virtue or a fault, that’s the way he is.
I think Senator Graham knows which way the wind is blowing… and a successfull politician knows when to trim the sails.
I hope you will consider the Senator’s decision to “cut-and-run” when you do your endorsements next year.
Well I guess this means Graham just doesn’t “get it” on the war in Iraq then?
I think (hope) that he’s taken a good look at the Iraq situation, and realized that what needs to be done is not do-able without Iraqi cooperation, which we are unlikely to get these days, thanks to our bungling of post invasion rebuilding and control of the nation.
If Lindsey is willing to tell the GOP to go jump when they’re wrong, why did he vote with Dimwit and the rest of the SC Republicans against expanding SChip coverage? Looks like he drank the kool-aid on this one.
It’s pretty simple. Lindsey Graham is a member of the Republican Party. He depends on that party for the financial support that allows him to remain in office.
Let’s not go overboard to try and make him out to be some sort of independent free thinker. He’s not. He’s a Bush lackey… plain and simple. Immigration, Iraq, S-Chip, the list goes on. I’m sure Lindsey will be one of the few Republicans who will ask Bush to come to SC to campaign for him.
Yes, it does, doesn’t it? If I get him on the phone today and there’s time, I plan to bring up that subject. Mainly, though, I want to talk about the above subject.
Come on, Doug — a comment like that is beneath you. If one of our anonymous commenters said that, I wouldn’t allow it.
Keep things on a grown-up plane; there’s no need for name-calling such as "lackey." Look at the true reasons for things. You could be right about Bush coming here to campaign for Lindsey. And why would that be? Because in South Carolina, it MIGHT actually be helpful to his re-election. For most Republicans, it wouldn’t be.
Yet Graham, like McCain, has been a thorn in the administration’s side as much as any other Republicans, and in ways that have actually had an effect on policy. Bush has no particular reason — given his fetish for loyalty — to love Lindsey Graham.
Basically, you’re calling him a "lackey" for supporting the "surge" — which happened to be a McCain-Graham approach, which the administration resisted for four years. That you would twist that to Graham being a "lackey" because BUSH did what GRAHAM wanted is bizarre, and yet another example of the way this insistence war critics have of identifying the war always in terms of Bush distorts their ability to perceive things as they are.
You can dislike, even hate, Bush, and support what our forces are doing in Iraq. I stand as proof of that.