The White House is teaching one if it's own what happens when you don't follow orders. Senator John Warner is being taken to task for daring to speak his mind about the Iraq war.
This is another example of how this administration refuses to give an inch, or recognize an opening if one presents itself.
Senator Warner had the audacity to suggest that Bush deploy as few as 5,000 troops as a symbolic gesture to the Iraqi leadership that our commitment isn't open-ended.
What does the White House do? It sicks the goons on him.
The suggestion by a prominent Republican senator that some U.S. troops leave Iraq by the end of the year has brought a demand from the White House that he clarify that he has not broken politically with President George W. Bush.
(emphasis mine)
But Senator Warner is having none if it.
I'm not going to issue any clarification,» Warner said in an interview with The Associated Press. «I don't think any clarification is needed.
Funny thing is, Warner had already gone on record saying he would not vote with Democrats to force a troop withdrawal. This is fight that didn't have to happen. Bush could've used this to kill more time. It would've been easy to withdraw such a small number of troops and also give political cover to Republicans for at least another 6 months. Republicans could have then done Sunday morning kabuki by explaining that they were withdrawing troops, just not as fast as Democrats would like them to.
But apparently nothing short of complete allegiance will do for King George.
The article is interesting also because those ubiquitous "anonymous administration officials" have fanned out to explain that even the senator's staff agreed that the senator was being mis-quoted in the press and thought a clarification was warranted. Not sure why you need anonymity to report that, but anonymous sources said it, so it must be true.
Then the republican attack dogs of the senate were sent in to knock some sense into Warner.
Sen. James Inhofe said in a statement that efforts to pre-empt Petraeus' September review was «premature and irresponsible.» Another, Sen. John Cornyn, said, «It's a little curious to me that people are proposing a change in strategy when in fact the current strategy appears now to be working.
Thuggery at its finest.
Let's hope Warner gets so pissed he changes his mind about voting against the troop withdrawal. I won't hold my breath, but I can still hope.
Here's the article.
http://www.pr-inside.com/...