Criticism of Iraq war rising from GOP right (Houston Chronicle)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/printstory.mpl/politics/2568324

President Bush is facing sharp dissent from his conservative base about the war in Iraq that could force him to change course or risk losing critical support for his re-election campaign.

The complaints are rising from the traditional conservative wing of the Republican Party -- including such influential voices as Rep. Henry Hyde of Illinois and columnist George Will -- who are challenging the "neo-conservative" doctrine that the United States can remake the Middle East by toppling dictator Saddam Hussein and nurturing a democracy to replace him.

"It would be foolish, not to say ruinously arrogant, to believe that we can determine the future of Iraq," said Hyde, an elder statesman in his party and the chairman of the House International Relations Committee, on Thursday before his panel.

"All of our energies, all of our talents, cannot substitute for the Iraqi people's assumption of responsibility for their own fate. However convinced we may be of our fate to do so, we cannot reinvent their country for them. Let us understand what is possible. We can assist them in that immense effort. We have already dramatically altered their universe of choices by providing them with the opportunity to choose their own government and their country's future path. But, foolish or not, the choice is theirs," Hyde said.

[SoDesuKa]

1. Right Wing Is Collapsing

The collapse of the neocons is bringing the whole right wing house down. Bush is turning the Iraq thing into a loyalty test, because it's becoming obvious to everyone that it's a loser.

As Hitler made one disastrous decision after another, he also made support of his failed leadership a loyalty thing, too. At the very end, Hitler's truly "loyal" followers were few in number.

Republicans are in a very bad spot. Bush is their nominee, but they're aware they have to start distancing themselves from him. If Bush is trounced in November - a distinct possibility - the Republicans will be out of office for many years.

[calimary]

5. bush is painting himself into another corner - YET AGAIN.

His pride is of such magnitude that he can't admit he's wrong, or that he's ever made a mistake. So he can't and won't ever admit he blew it with Iraq. He's got to stick with it because he's staked his whole manhood and whole "god-hood" on it.

Appears he's running the Iraq war and the country in general the way he ran Harken Energy, Spectrum 7 Energy and Arbusto Energy. Straight over a cliff.

[AlCzervik]

2. Maybe just maybe

they will stay home in november ala 92

[NMLobo]

3. C'mon Henry say it..

"*Bush lied to us."

C'mon Henry say it .

SAY IT!

SAY IT! :spank:

[calimary]

4. No way in hell he'll ever go that far.

Henry Hyde turn - to THAT extent - against a (gasp!) fellow republi-CON?

Blow it out yer ass, Henry. Sanctimonious, hypocritical putz. I'm surprised you're objecting at all. He and bush are two peas in a pod. I've got to say, though, if Henry Hyde is getting the shakes, it's REALLY bad out there.

[mike1963]

6. His utterance of "ruinously arrogant" is pretty powerful.

When a hypocritical blowhard like Hyde gets to that point, it's fairly clear that Chimpy's cabal is in deep shit. The danger is thinking the game is "over." It ain't. We MUST keep up the pressure!

[uncertainty1999]

7. The "drunken sailors" are sobering up!

Too bad they couldn't figure that out BEFORE spending $100 billion ++ on Halliburton - oops, I mean Iraq ;-)

[Tellurian]

8. Why isn't Katie Couric interviewing Henry Hyde?

she broke a leg when it was Clinton.

[ibegurpard]

9. I wonder if God will tell George that he needs to change course.

eom