GOP pressures Bush on war - 11 moderates send 'strong signal,' warn that support for Iraq mission could dry up

GOP pressures Bush on war - 11 moderates send 'strong signal,' warn that support for Iraq mission could dry up
By Jim Tankersley and Mark Silva
Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune
Published May 10, 2007

WASHINGTON -- A group of congressional Republicans warned President Bush in person this week that their support for the Iraq war could evaporate if conditions don't improve there by September.

Eleven GOP moderates, led by Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), met with Bush and top administration officials Tuesday to deliver what one participant called a "strong signal" about the electoral dangers that "war fatigue and war weariness" pose for Republicans in 2008.

"I've been to a lot of meetings at the White House," said Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.) who attended. "I've been to a lot of meetings with the president about the war. This was one of the toughest, frankest, no-holds-barred meetings in terms of the members who were there giving their assessment of where they think things are in their district and the country."

The Republicans told Bush they had little faith in Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki "to get his act together" and expected a "very candid report" from Gen. David Petraeus, the American commander in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, on the progress of Iraq's government this fall, LaHood said.

"We want a very candid report in September," LaHood said. "We don't want politics mixed into it. And the way forward after September, if the report is not good, is going to be very, very difficult."


Bush 'listened'

LaHood said the president "listened very carefully."

Last week, LaHood told the Tribune the September report would be a "benchmark" for House Republicans, who have stood nearly united behind the president's requests for war funding so far. Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) echoed the statement on "Fox News Sunday."

Boehner attended the White House meeting Tuesday but mostly let the other House Republicans -- who are members of a moderate coalition known as the "Tuesday Group" -- convey their frustrations to Bush and his advisers, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and political adviser Karl Rove.

LaHood said several congressmen in the delegation faced difficult re-elections last year and told Bush they worried the war could sink them in 2008.

Kirk, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday night, narrowly beat Democratic challenger Dan Seals in his suburban district last year. Last quarter, he led House Republicans by raising nearly $640,000 for his re-election campaign.

Rep. Charles Dent of Pennsylvania, a co-chairman of the Tuesday Group, helped arrange the meeting, which was first disclosed by NBC News on Wednesday. Dent told The New York Times that lawmakers wanted to convey the frustration and impatience with the war that they are hearing from voters. "We had a very frank conversation about the situation in Iraq," he said.

Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia told The Associated Press that he presented recent polling data from his suburban Washington district showing that Bush's disapproval ratings exceeded his approval ratings.

"We asked them what's Plan B. We let them know that the status quo is not acceptable," he said. Davis said the president responded that if he began discussing a new strategy, the current one would never have a chance to succeed.


Both parties had meetings

Bush met with Republicans and Democrats on Tuesday separately at the White House; aides called his meeting with his own party "unvarnished."

"I'm not going to comment on what the president may or may not have said in a meeting with members," Dana Perino, deputy press secretary, said Wednesday. "He meets regularly with members of Congress and asks for their unvarnished opinions and frank advice. ... These conversations strengthen our relationships in our party, sharpen our policies, and bring greater understanding on our positions. It's a diverse party, but we broadly share common principles to keep America safe and secure."

Lawmakers said Bush made no commitments but seemed grateful for their support for the moment, The Times reported. Bush also said that a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq could cause the sort of chaos that occurred in Southeast Asia after Americans left South Vietnam.

The Republican lawmakers indicated they would maintain solidarity with Bush for now by opposing the latest Democratic proposal for two-stage war financing, which is scheduled for a vote on Thursday in the House.

Some of the other GOP lawmakers attending the meeting were Reps. Jim Gerlach of Pennsylvania; James Walsh of New York; and Jo Ann Emerson of Missouri.

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jtankersley@tribune.com

mdsilva@tribune.com