Have ANY Republicans REALLY broke with Bush on the Iraq occupation?

[NNN0LHI]

Or is it just more mealy mouthed rhetoric from Republican scum worried about their reelection chances?

I am suspecting it is the latter.

Don

[Jacobin]

1. I'll take 'latter' for $200, Alex

[pwb]

2. Voters back home are pissed

repukes think by saying sorry, didn't mean it, they will be forgiven.
Blue America is back and the repukes jumping ship are just trying to save there asses, Too late, we don't buy it anymore. its a red war and there is no changing that.

[mmonk]

3. Pretend.

[rodeodance]

4. only an up and down will tell.

[State the Obvious]

5. The Republicans will probably finesse their way through this one too.....

...and unfortunately the Democrats will again believe that the (Republican) word is honorable and trustworthy.

I think it was Senator Domenici that said he wanted to bring the troops home.....BUT...

1) he would NOT vote for taking away funding...and

2) he would only vote for a GRADUAL return of troops. (We must insist that every Republican who switches....define the word "gradual"...6months? one year? two years? complete withdrawal in 10 years? What?)

In other words, Republicans will say whatever they have to say in order to get re-elected AND THEN remain completely loyal to the PARTY LINE.

[KharmaTrain]

6. Hagel

He's co-sponsoring Webb's ammendment and truly has left the reservation. He's facing a possible right-wing primary challenger and is cursed on the GOOP side like we wail on Liebermann here.

Gordon Smith also voted against the last supplemental and looks like he's smart enough to know this invasion was a clusterfuck and jumped off this trainwreck sooner rather than later to help him keep his Senate seat.

These are the only votes I would say actually put their votes where their mouths are.

[TwilightGardener]

9. Yep, Hagel will face the consequences here in Nebraska--

hopefully he'll just retire rather than lose to a Rove-selected jerkoff just because he opposed Chimpy and the war. Smith's state is bluer, so it will probably affect him in a good way re-election-wise, but I think his views on the war are genuine nonetheless.

[KharmaTrain]

10. The Jury's Out On Smith

Speaking to several good Oregonian friends and reading the blogs, I think Smith's views are realistic more than genuine. He saw he couldn't hide from that reality and made the choice to get out in front of what we've seen is a deteriorating situation. I commend the Senator for at least having the stones to move before he the others, but his motives are political...he's in a state where his popularity rating had dropped and a party infrastructure in decline.

There's also another dynamic here...and that's the "day-after" scenario. I see Hagel as one who sees the self-destructive scandals and corruption that are destroying the Repugnican party. He was never a go-along/get-along guy and has positioned himself to pick up the pieces after the party totally implodes in the wake of next year's election...or that's his calculation.

Look at how lame the GOOP presidential field is. Now fast forward to what could be left after the booosh "legacy" is totally discredited, the fundies and neo-cons are marginalized and the remaining elements of that party are scattered in total disaray. Then, the stands Hagel made puts him in a strong position...a "party savior"...and actually bodes well for him in 2012.

Cheers....

[TwilightGardener]

13. Either way on Smith, he's been consistent and puts his votes where

his mouth is, which is more than I can say for Lugar, Collins, Snowe, etc. Hagel might be too old to run for anything in 2012--if he doesn't run as an Indie with Bloomberg next year, I can see him just getting out of elected politics altogether. Maybe pull a Wesley Clark and be a political analyst for MSNBC or something.

[acmavm]

15. Hagel retire? Who knows? I think he's onto bigger and better

things (so he thinks) and he's using this war as a springboard.

The bad thing is that I understand Hal Daub is gonna run for his seat.

[TwilightGardener]

17. Good thing is, Hal Daub's old and dweeby, so he'd lose the general to a Dem--

bad thing is, he'll never get there because he'll lose to Bruning in the primary, and Bruning might be strong enough to win the general--I heard him on Laura Ingraham, and he's a smooth mofo who spouts all the RW talking points with ease. Here's what I think will happen, though: Hagel will retire his seat, and basically try to hand it to his good buddy Bob Kerrey--he'll endorse Kerrey, all the Repugs in Nebraska will love Kerrey for his hawkish ways, and that will be that. Another Nelson, but more pro-war--perfect! Hagel looks disgusted with politics right now--unless he's an evil genius and is playing that angle to boost his "integrity" stock for future "bigger and better things", as you say. That's possible.

[emulatorloo]

7. If they keep covering Bush's *ss with their votes, then we will know.

My guess is they will make a lot of speeches and then refuse to vote w the Democrats on any real legislation.

[State the Obvious]

8. Bingo! n/t

[VP505]

11. Breaking from Bu$h,

NOT HARDLY, Pajama Pete Domenici along with other GOP Senators are a classic example of ones using smoke and mirrors to improve their re-election chances while claiming to be calling for a different direction in Iraq. They support the Salazar-Alexander bill, "Iraq Study Group Recommendations Implementation Act" (S 1545). When read carefully it does little to end the Iraq occupation, in fact it will keep US troops in Iraq indefinitely. We need to all WATCH carefully and don't believe any of their rhetoric!

[leftofthedial]

12. I'll trade the car, the trip to Jamaica and the living room furniture

for what's behind door number 2, Bob

[acmavm]

14. Not just no, but HELL NO. All this is an collective act of

desperation by the most corrupt group of political operatves ever to leave a slime trail behind them.

[baby_mouse]

16. They're cowards. They daren't. NT.