It's really not that complicated. Bush's Iraq policy is -- and always has been -- a disaster. But the GOPers in Congress, like Susan Collins (ME), Norm Coleman (MN) and John Sununu (NH) among others, who enabled that failure, are sticking with him. Not only does their recklessness threaten American security, it threatens Republican job security. Reid and Schumer were typically blunt about that prospect:
Democrats know they might lose this month's showdown with President Bush on legislation to pull troops out of Iraq. But with 2008 elections in mind, majority Democrats says it is only a matter of time before they will get their way. Senior Democrats are calculating that if they keep the pressure on, eventually more Republicans will jump ship and challenge the president - or lose their seats to Democratic contenders.
"It's at least my belief that they are going to have to break because they're going to look extinction, some of them, in the eye," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., of his Republican colleagues.
Added Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.: "We're going to pick up Senate seats as a result of this war."
The irony is that the GOP picked up Senate seats in 2002 because of Bush's build up to the Iraq war. That same batch of GOP Senators who won in 2002 because of Bush and his war are going to lose in 2008 because of Bush and his war.
