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October 11, 2008 4:11:56 AM CDT

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Top Republican Calls for New Iraq Plan

Posted Jun 26, 07 1:06 PM CDT in Politics,  US 

(Newser) – An influential Republican senator abandoned his support for President Bush's Iraq war strategy last night with a call to cut back the US military's role in the region and focus more on diplomatic and economic options. Richard Lugar, the senior minority member of the Foreign Relations Committee, has a reputation for rising above partisan sniping, reports the Indianapolis Star.

"We have overestimated what the military can achieve," Lugar said in a long speech on the Senate floor. He said he opposes a full withdrawal but pointed to three factors impeding US efforts:  "the political fragmentation in Iraq, the growing stress on our military, and the constraints of our own domestic political process."

Source Indianapolis Star

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US Senator John Kerry(L), D-MA, Sen. Richard Lugar, R-IN, and...   (Getty Images (by Event))
Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind. is shown in this 2005 file photo. Lugar, a senior Republican and a reliable vote for President Bush on the war, said Monday that Bush's Iraq strategy was not working and that...   (Associated Press)
Richard Lugar Appears On "Fox News Sunday"   (Getty Images (by Event))
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Iraq  • George W. Bush  • Iraq war  • Republicans  • Senate  • troop withdrawal  • American troops  • Richard Lugar


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