(or Lugar, or Hagel, or Graham) I suppose we'd have to question their patriotism. Bastards slander the effort like that, and all . . .
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/...ors/index.html
The core:
"Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona said Bush was not being "as straight as maybe we'd like to see" with the American people about Iraq.
"McCain, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on 'Fox News Sunday' that it was 'a serious mistake' not to have had enough troops in place 'after the initial successes' and that the mistake had led to 'very, very significant' difficulties.
* * *
"McCain, who has campaigned for Bush's re-election, acknowledged that the incumbent's rosy view of Iraq as 'on the path of stability and democracy' may not be accurate, 'although I've been with him when he has told audiences that this is a very tough struggle that we're in.'
"Bush said in an interview Saturday that Iraq is 'defying the dire predictions of a lot of people by moving toward democracy.'
"McCain, who spent five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam after his Navy plane was shot down, hinted that Bush might be avoiding the specter of putting more American lives at risk.
* * *
"I think the president is being clear. I would like to see him more clear, because I believe the American people, the majority of them, know what's at stake and will support this effort.
"McCain called for an increase in the Army of about 70,000 soldiers and for 20,000 to 25,000 more Marines.
"'The reality,' he said, '[is] that we're going to be there for a long time -- which, by the way, is not terrible if you keep the casualties down.'
* * *
"Appearing on the same program {FTN}, Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, a fellow Republican, disagreed with Kyl that the United States was anywhere near victory.
"'I don't think we're winning. In all due respect to my friend Jon Kyl, the term "hand-wringing" is a little misplaced here," Hagel said.
"'The fact is, a crisp, sharp analysis of our policies are required. We didn't do that in Vietnam, and we saw 11 years of casualties mount to the point where we finally lost.
"'The fact is, we're in trouble. We're in deep trouble in Iraq,' said Hagel, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees.
"Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who has traveled to Iraq twice and is a member of the Armed Services Committee, said he doesn't 'buy that' when told enough troops are in Iraq to do the job.
"'There's a rhyme or reason to what's happening here,' he said on CNN's 'Late Edition.' 'They're attacking police stations. They're attacking people who want to join the army. They're trying to kill people who want to be part of a democratic government.'"
"On ABC's 'This Week,' Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana and Democratic Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware both had critical words for the administration's handling of Iraq.
* * *
"Lugar, who is chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said 'the incompetence in the administration' led to only $1 billion spent out of $18 billion appropriated last year for reconstruction efforts."
Whatsamatter -- don't these guys read the blogs? On what in the heck are these GOP Congresspeople basing their twisted views?
S_A_M
[eta: Everyone after McCain]
