We've come a long way since the 9/11 attacks began compelling Americans, especially elected officials, to avoid even appearing to disagree with President Bush or risk being labeled un-American. Apparently, those days are numbered.
Yesterday, the Washington Post's Dan Froomkin discussed evidence that Bush and Cheney may have "lost control of the Washington agenda when it comes to their principal legacy: the war in Iraq."
Among the evidence was criticism from Republican Senator Richard Lugar (Ind.), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In part, Lugar said during a Senate floor speech:
"Three factors – the political fragmentation in Iraq, the growing stress on our military, and the constraints of our own domestic political process -- are converging to make it almost impossible for the United States to engineer a stable, multi-sectarian government in Iraq....
"The United States has violated some basic national security precepts during our military engagement in Iraq. We have overestimated what the military can achieve, we have set goals that are unrealistic, and we have inadequately factored in the broader regional consequences of our actions...." (speech text)
Lugar's speech is worth a read for the details and reasoning that went into it. Other Republican senators who seem to share Lugar's skepticism over Bush's handling or Iraq include John Warner (VA), Mitch McConnell (KY), and George Voinovich (OH) (Washington Post).
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