"Republicans Cut and Run from Iraq and Bush" (Jim Lobe)

[laststeamtrain]

WASHINGTON, Nov 15 (IPS) - Although he dislikes foreign travel and formal summits, U.S. President George W. Bush must be relieved to be spending this week as an honoured guest in several Asian capitals. According to the stereotype, Asians are unfailingly polite.

The same can no longer be said even of the president's fellow Republicans in Washington -- not to mention the mainstream media and Democrats who, sensing a failed presidency, are on the attack as never before.

While nominally still loyal to the White House, Republican lawmakers are now distancing themselves from Bush, and especially from some of his more controversial policies like Iraq and the abuse of detainees in the "war on terror", with surprising alacrity.

In the wake of the party's poor performance in last week's off-year elections, as well as the continuing slide to unprecedented lows of Bush's public approval and credibility ratings, Republican senators have begun to seize control of policies that the White House has long insisted should be in its exclusive domain...
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=31026