Thought Theater

Democratic Divisions On Iraq On Display In Senate genre: Polispeak & Six Degrees of Speculation

Today's Senate debate on Iraq will provide a clear story line for Republicans to highlight the inability of Democrats to reach a consensus position. While Democrats are attempting to construe the competing proposals as more a matter of timing than temerity, Republicans have already crafted negative slogans to depict both Democratic proposals. Read the full article here.

Setting a deadline to redeploy U.S. troops from Iraq is necessary for success in Iraq," Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said in remarks planned for his introduction of a proposal that would require U.S. combat forces to begin leaving the war zone immediately and be out of Iraq completely by July 1, 2007.

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and most of his rank-and-file colleagues don't exactly agree.

They back a separate nonbinding resolution that would not set such a hard-and-fast deadline. It would simply call for - not require - the administration to begin a phased redeployment of U.S. forces this year.

While neither Democratic proposal is expected to win enough votes to be attached as an amendment to an annual military measure pending in the Senate, both are drawing ridicule from Republicans.

They lumped Democrats into two groups - what they called the "cut and run" crowd backing the Kerry position and the "cut and jog" folks supporting the other proposal.

As Democrats see it, the only issues they don't agree on is exactly when to start withdrawing troops - immediately or not - and whether there should be a "date certain" when all troops must be out of Iraq.

Republicans relish the forthcoming debate on Iraq and are seeking political advantage as they try to hang onto control of the House and Senate in the November elections.

"Leaving Iraq to the terrorists is simply not an option. Surrendering is not a solution," Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said Tuesday. "We cannot retreat. We cannot surrender. We cannot go wobbly. The price is far too high."

Countering, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., assailed the GOP's support of Bush's "stay the course" strategy amid soaring war costs and death tolls.

"I guess their position is we're there forever," Reed said.

As I've looked at the competing proposals, two things stand out. First, they aren't that different which tells me that there are political motivations behind the Kerry-Feingold position as both men have their sights set on a run for President in 2008. Calling for an immediate commencement of withdrawal is strongly supported by many vocal and active netroots Democrats who could be influential in future elections. Second, it points out the conflicting passions within rank and file Democrats and the potential to split the Party before the November midterms as well as determine who will emerge as the favorite for 2008. You can read prior Thought Theater postings on the issues here and here.