Bush loses Lott

First, Boehner bailed and now Lott. We are witnessing, at long last, the disintegration of the pro-war caucus and perhaps the return of sanity to Congress. God willing, we could be out of Iraq by Christmas.

WASHINGTON - Senate Republican Whip Trent Lott says President Bush’s new strategy in Iraq has until about fall before GOP members will need to see results.

Lott's comment Monday put a fine point on what Senate Republican stalwarts have been discussing quietly for weeks. It also echoed remarks made this weekend by House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, indicating the GOP's limited patience on the war.

"I do think this fall we have to see some significant changes on the ground, in Baghdad and other surrounding areas," Lott, R-Miss., told reporters.

Lott declined to say what he thinks should happen if Congress does not see improvement in the security situation by then. But he said lawmakers have time before they must decide.

It seems that the GOP leadership is determined not to allow the war to drag them down any further before the next election cycle. This is in direct confrontation with the Administration, which is equally determined to run out the clock on Bush’s term and drop the whole affair in the next President’s lap; cynical, incompetent bastards that they are.

The real issue is that the American people have already decided they want us out. The GOP was trounced in November because they refused to hear that message. If they cannot get out from under Iraq before 2008, their loses will be devastating. The Republicans know that and are freaking out about it.

Boehner and Lott just hit the panic button. Bush's Congressional support for the war is about to collapse.

UPDATE: Just to be clear here, I am not predicting that we are going to pull out of Iraq anytime soon. I do not think that the Democrats in Congress have the balls to cut off funding for the war and that is the only way this thing ends. If Congress does remove funding, the Dems are going to need a ton of Republican votes to give them some political cover. I don’t see that happening.

What I think will happen is some of the pro-war caucus will begin to oppose the Bush strategy. Indeed, that is what Boehner and Lott did. Moving them to oppose the war is going to take some time.