Unlike Dems, GOP united on Iraq war

History may yet regard the U.S. effort in Iraq as either a global turning point or a massive misadventure. It will take months, or even years, to know for sure.
But in political terms, President Bush and the Republicans have one clear advantage on the issue that will dominate November's elections: consistency. Though the GOP suffers from growing anti-war sentiment, its ability to speak with one voice provides a clear contrast with the differences among top Democrats.
Bush delivered the message to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad on Tuesday: "When America gives its word, it will keep its word." And at a White House news conference Wednesday, he displayed firmness and optimism while making clear he didn't want to raise hopes by talking about withdrawing troops. "It's worth it, it is necessary, and we will succeed," he said.
As the president was heading for Iraq, top political strategist Karl Rove gave the political version of the White House message to New Hampshire Republicans: The effort to remove Saddam Hussein was "absolutely right. We have no excuses to make for it."
By contrast, he said, Democrats "may be with you at the first shots, but they are not going to be with you for the last, tough battles."
And right on cue, Democrats gave a vivid demonstration of their divisions on the war. One factor: The fact that, in the party's dominant liberal circles, opinion is strong that the war was a mistake that should be ended sooner, rather than later.
Liberal activists at a meeting of the Campaign for America's Future cheered Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Russ Feingold of Wisconsin when they urged a deadline for U.S. withdrawal. They gave Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York a far more mixed reception when she refused to do so.
The most vivid example of Democratic divisions came in the back-to-back appearances by Kerry and Clinton, prospective 2008 presidential rivals.
Boos and cheers
Clinton, greeted by a mixture of boos and cheers, maintained her consistent position of refusing to repudiate her support of the war while detailing ways in which it has been badly handled.
"I do not think it is a smart strategy either for the president to continue with his open-ended commitment, which I think does not put enough pressure on the new Iraqi government, nor do I think it is smart strategy to set a date certain" for U.S. withdrawal, she said to a mixed chorus of boos and applause.
An hour later, Kerry, the defeated 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, made what sounded like a direct challenge to Clinton, though aides said that was not his purpose.
Hailing his dissent a generation ago against the Vietnam War and criticism now of the war in Iraq, Kerry said, "The patriotic obligation to speak out becomes even more urgent when so-called leaders refuse to debate their policies or disclose the full facts.
"Let me say it plainly," he repeated twice for emphasis. "It is not enough to argue with the logistics or to argue about the details or the manner of the conflict's execution or the failures of competence, as great as they are.
"It is essential to acknowledge that the war itself was a mistake," he said, using words he refused to utter in 2004. "We were misled. We were given evidence that was not true. It was wrong, and I was wrong to vote for that Iraqi war resolution." And he vowed to push for a withdrawal deadline.
Rove entertained his GOP audience by citing prior Kerry statements. Bush also chided the Democrats, but in a lower-key, though still pointed, way.
"There is an interesting debate in the Democratic Party about how quick to pull out of Iraq," he said, but premature withdrawal "will make the world a more dangerous place."
Many Republicans openly have hoped for troop withdrawals by the November elections to keep war dissatisfaction from dragging down GOP candidates. That's still possible, though Bush resisted anything resembling a pledge to do so despite a promising week that has seen Iraq's most prominent terrorist leader killed, an elected government come together and a renewed effort launched against insurgent violence.
Though a majority of Americans still regard the war as a mistake, polls also show a rise in optimism about the outcome and support for Bush's job performance. The White House clearly hopes its firm, confident course will help ensure that events in Iraq permit those trends to continue sufficiently to minimize political damage in November.
Carl P. Leubsdorf is Washington bureau chief of the Dallas Morning News. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.