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Analysis: Rhetorical Battleground Shifts on Iraq

Council on Foreign Relations

August 23, 2007
Prepared by: Greg Bruno

The next phase of the White House showdown with Congress over Iraq troop-withdrawal timetables was expected to begin with mid-September progress reports. But President Bush is taking preemptive action with speeches seizing on some security gains attributed to the surge and reinforcing warnings about chaos in the event of a pullout. In a speech to veterans on August 22, Bush drew on historical parallels from Vietnam to argue against a premature departure from Iraq. He is expected to amplify his case at the American Legion Convention in Nevada on August 28, and again a week later en route to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Australia.

Bush has likely been buoyed by reports from Democratic lawmakers who made trips to Iraq this summer, many of whom have noted security improvements on the ground. Democrats had hoped to use the August recess to ratchet up the pressure on Republicans in advance of next month’s hearings. Instead, they’ve been “forced to recalibrate their own message,” says a Washington Post analysis. Some Democratic congressmen are now suggesting immediate withdrawal timelines may no longer be necessary, a notable shift. Rep. Brian Baird, a five-term Democrat from Washington who voted against the war, says the surge appears to be working (Olympian).

Freshman Congressman Jerry McNerney (D-CA), who led a bipartisan trip to Iraq in July with other first-term lawmakers, said he returned more willing to compromise (AP) on a deadline for withdrawal.

Read the rest of this article on the cfr.org website.

Copyright 2007 by the Council on Foreign Relations. This material is republished on GlobalSecurity.org with specific permission from the cfr.org. Reprint and republication queries for this article should be directed to cfr.org.