Iraq & Immigration

Iraq Study officials question March goal

By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer

17 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The co-chairs of the Iraq Study Group said Monday they were unsure whether the panel's goal of pulling combat troops out of Iraq by March 2008 remains valid.

The blue-ribbon panel's five Republican and five Democratic members concluded six months ago that most combat troops could be out of Iraq by the 2008 date if certain steps were taken. They said a smaller contingent could be left behind to train Iraqi security forces and conduct other narrowly defined missions.

The report received a tepid response by the White House and Congress until recently, as administration officials contemplate their next step in Iraq and congressional Republicans look for a solution to end the politically unpopular war.

Addressing a National Press Club luncheon, James Baker and Lee Hamilton said they believed the group's findings were still meaningful.

But the 2008 date "would, of course, be something different, in my view at least, because we were talking that date when we came with the report in December of 2006. This is now June of 2007," said Baker, secretary of state during the first Bush administration and Republican co-chairman of the group.(link)

Pretty much a non-story here, the ISG admit that times have changed, bla bla bla. Interesting quote though

"One thing I do know and believe very affirmatively, and that is if Iraq was not the center of the war on terror before we went in there, it certainly is now," Baker said.

Makes you wonder why the ISG and the left would be wanting to leave so fast if they truly believe this? (yes I realize Baker is a Republican in name, but not in action).

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Bush immigration bill push tests clout

By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, Associated Press Writer

1 hour, 22 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - President Bush is putting his influence within his own party to the test Tuesday as he pleads personally with skeptical Senate Republicans to resurrect his immigration bill. Despite his confident tone Monday about the measure's fate, Bush is facing a hostile audience that has shown little appetite for following his lead on the contentious issue.

[snip]

Still, weakened by his sagging poll numbers and a sense within GOP ranks that the president has lost touch with his core supporters on immigration, Bush may well lack the clout he would need to persuade Republicans to back the measure, say lawmakers and strategists.(link)

Read that last paragraph well, seems that the A(w/t)P thinks the immigration bill is having problems because W has low poll numbers. Instead of looking at the fact the bill is having problems because NO ONE wants that bill, telling.
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Tags: W, Iraq, ISG, retreat, tWoT, illegal immigration, poll numbers, BlogPower, LordNazh