x-posted at
Kauitlyan
Today's Wall Street Journal reports that veteran Republican congressman Doug Bereuter has broken with his party and now calls the Iraq war a mistake. I guess he's not feeling safer today. Since Bereuter's retiring I guess he's immune from Bush's brass knuckles. (By the way is anyone ever going to write the piece saying that Dean was right?)
Here's an excerpt:
Breaking with President Bush over Iraq, a prominent House Republican has written his Nebraska constituents that last year's attack by the U.S. was a "mistake" and "unjustified" and "our country's reputation around the world has never been lower and our alliances are weakened."
"The cost in casualties is already large and the immediate and long-term financial costs are incredible," wrote Rep. Doug Bereuter, a senior member of both the House intelligence and foreign-policy committees who supported the war resolution in 2002. "Now we are immersed in a dangerous, costly mess and there is no easy way to end our responsibilities in Iraq without creating bigger future problems in the region and, in general, in the Muslim world."
...he 64-year-old legislator, who is retiring after almost 26 years in Congress, wasn't available to comment further. But the bluntly worded assessment is striking, coming from such a loyal, typically low-key member of the Republican foreign-policy establishment.
"I was shocked by the letter," said Rep. Ray LaHood (R., Ill.), who has served on the House intelligence panel where Mr. Bereuter has been vice chairman. "I never heard Doug express these doubts, but he is one of the most serious legislators I've ever met. This is a double-barrel shotgun blast for the Democrats."
"He's a very serious guy and cares deeply about these issues. He's a credible witness," said former Nebraska Democratic Sen. Bob Kerrey of Mr. Bereuter.
...But Mr. Bereuter is well-respected in both parties and, however surprised they were by his essay, Republicans uniformly praised him as a serious figure on foreign-policy issues.
...He faulted the White House for ignoring "many warnings" in its conduct of the post-war occupation. "Perhaps the warning most frequently given by reputable sources was to avoid disbanding the Iraqi army" he wrote. And he said the reconstruction effort would have been better served by giving more authority to the State Department rather than the Pentagon.
Recall, that the decision to disband the Iraqi army can be traced to Bush even though they made Bremer the fall guy.