So as the war grows more and more unpopular, Republicans are starting to show the strain:
Thirty percent of Americans polled say they favor the war, the lowest level of support on record. Two-thirds are opposed.
Anti-war sentiment among Republican poll respondents has suddenly increased with 38 percent of Republicans now saying they oppose the war.
Moreover, 63 percent of Americans are ready to withdraw at least some troops from Iraq. Forty-two percent of Republicans agree.
...
But there are some other cracks starting to show in the Republican wall of support -- most dramatically Monday when Republican Sen. Dick Lugar rose to speak in the Senate.
"I speak to my fellow senators when I say that the president is not the only American leader who will have to make adjustments to his or her thinking," Lugar said.
Lugar's assessment: "In my judgment, the costs and risk of continuing down the current path outweigh the potential benefits that might be achieved."
I highly recommend this post from TPM on the dynamic involved. No Republican wants to be the first to jump ship, there is a stubborn, vengeful President and a stubborn vengeful Conservative base out there, that will punish early jumpers. But there is a wider electorate out there that is going to nuke the Republican Party down to the bedrock if they don't get away from Iraq.
1 comment:
TPM is making a mountain out of a molehill. As War Room points out, Lugar was quite critical of the war as far back as last January. However, he still voted against Dem attempts for a withdrawal schedule and for the Democratic bill funding the war without restrictions.
All politicians say one thing and do another. Let's not celebrate until there's some real action. If Sen. Reid would put his actions where his words are, there would actually be something for Lugar to vote for or against.
http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2007/06/26/lugar/index.html
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