A group of 40 senators -- 39 Dems and Jeffords -- have
written a letter to Bush calling on him to provide a clear "Strategy for Success" in Iraq.
The letter itself isn't particularly earth-shattering. Basically it says things are all mucked up and Bush needs to come up with a strategy to make it better.
Interestingly, the phrase "Strategy for Success" appears four times in the letter itself and two additional times in the intro -- which appears to be a press release from Sen. Feinstein's office. Several other Dems have been parroting it in recent interviews. Way to go Dems! You've come up with you're very own party-wide soundbite.
The Senators call for some specific benchmarks for accountability:
* How many Iraqi forces must be capable of operating without U.S. assistance or with minimal U.S. support before we can begin reducing our military presence and when will that number be reached?
* What specific measures does the Administration plan to take before and after the October 15th constitutional referendum to forge the necessary political consensus and reconcile the growing sectarian and religious differences? If such consensus is not reached, what policy changes would be required?
* What efforts have you made or will you make to attain broader international support, including engaging Iraq's neighbors and others nations particularly Muslim nations, in the effort to stabilize Iraq?
* How should the American people assess the progress in reconstructing Iraq, what are the tangible results of the billions of dollars Americans have provided for Iraq's reconstruction, does the Administration have a plan to ensure that those who have misused taxpayer funds will be held accountable, how much more will U.S. taxpayers be asked to contribute to Iraq's reconstruction, and what steps is your Administration taking to ensure that their future investment will not be misused?
Good stuff. But what I find most interesting are signatures at the bottom. All but six Democrats in the senate signed the letter. Notable signatories include: Bayh, Biden, Clinton and Reid. Every Democratic Senator thought to be considering a run at the White House in 2008 signed on. Notably absent is -- the increasingly irrelevant -- Joe Lieberman.
Last Thursday, Russ Feingold said in an interview with Raw Story that Senate Democrats would soon present their own plan on Iraq. Perhaps Democrats have finally awoken to the reality that Americans are weary of this war and desperately want an alternative to "stay the course"?