Iraq...The good news and the bad

The good news is that over 50,000 of America's finest won't die in an unwinnable war like they did in Vietnam. The bad news is over 2,000 have already. The American public is turning against the war. According to the latest CBS News Poll 64% don't think the Iraq war was worth it and 50% think US troops should withdraw regardless of what happens. When the people turn against the war can the politicians be far behind? According to The LA Times, Bush War Policy Is Now in Play.

WASHINGTON — For months, the politics of the Iraq war have been frozen in place, with stalwart Republicans defending President Bush's policy and most Democrats shunning a direct challenge.

Now the ice has begun to crack.

In the face of solidifying public opposition to the war, a mounting U.S. body count and a renewed focus on the faulty intelligence used to justify the war, Democratic lawmakers and candidates have sharpened their critique of the administration's policy and, in some cases, urged a withdrawal of U.S. troops.

"The mood has really shifted," said Sen. Russell D. Feingold (D-Wis.), who in August became the chamber's first member to call for a troop withdrawal. "We are in a whole different period."

And with the midterm elections only a year away the Democrats are not alone.

Meanwhile, some Republicans who were strong backers of Bush's policy increasingly are distancing themselves from his optimism that the U.S. mission will be successful — even after the recent approval of an Iraqi constitution.

"I hope that is a turning point," Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said of the constitution's passage. "But there is increasing skepticism. We've had a lot of events that appeared to be turning points, but the violence continues."

[......]

The vast majority of Republicans support the war and argue that there is no viable alternative to staying the course. But it is increasingly difficult for them to keep the bad news in Iraq from eclipsing what they see as good news.

"We try to keep an ear to the ground, and the ground is rumbling," said Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.). "I offer my constituents the assurance that this is a path on which we must be successful. But it's being reacted to with unease and uncertainty."

[......]

Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), who is up for reelection next year, also is far more cautious than Bush in his comments about the war's course. DeWine said that when he was asked about the issue by worried constituents, "I tell them the jury is still out.

"People are very concerned."

But where are the Democrats? On the wrong side.

But most of the big names in the Democratic foreign policy establishment — such as Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware and retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark — fear that a push for a fixed timetable for withdrawal will hurt the Iraq war effort and the Democratic cause in 2006.

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