The Capitol Arms For The War Over the War

Acknowledging 'war fatigue,' president warns against hasty withdrawal

(NEWSER) - President Bush used today's interim report on the Iraq war to renew his call for Congress to withhold judgment on the troop surge until a September update, saying the military will "be in a better position to adjust" in 2 months. The report notes positive movement in eight out of 18 areas but gives unsatisfactory marks on eight other benchmarks. More»

Unusual move allows vote against war, for domestic spending

(NEWSER) - House Democratic leaders are splitting the new Iraq funding bill into two distinct amendments, the Politco reports. One will be the $103 billion Bush requested for the war in Iraq, which will speak of benchmarks but won't demand a withdrawal date, the other a $17 billion domestic spending package. More»

Bill ties troop funding to March 2008 withdrawal deadline

(NEWSER) - Democrats in the Senate pulled off a surprise victory yesterday in their bid to force President Bush to bring troops home from Iraq—deflecting a GOP effort to kill the troop withdrawal plan. The Democrats’ proposal sets a March 2008 deadline for ending the conflict and is folded into a must-pass $122 billion package to fund the war. More»

(NEWSER) - The FT catalogs a litany of the obstacles for President Bush achieving anything meaningful in his last 22 months in office. At the core of it all is the Iraq war, which has reduced Bush’s popularity to the point where he has no more political capital to spend. More»

Approval ratings hit 10-year low, but Hillary's no shoo-in

(NEWSER) - Americans are down on the feds these days, a new poll shows. Only 24% give them thumbs up, while 75% want White House policy change—the worst ratings in a decade, the Washington Post reports. Dems can best capitalize on discontent in 2008, numbers say, but Hillary's leads against Giuliani or McCain are slim. And voters don't like the Democratic Congress either. More»