GOP alienation marks turnabout for Bush
Dissent and calls for checks on the president have mushroomed since the party lost Congress in the midterm election.
By Noam N. Levey
LATimes
WASHINGTON — President Bush, weakened by an unpopular war and the loss of Republican control in Congress, is now confronting disaffection within his own party that could complicate his attempt to set an agenda for his final two years in office.
As Republicans departed Capitol Hill this weekend, some who used to dismiss Democratic attempts to investigate the administration as political posturing are now lining up behind calls for greater oversight of the executive branch.
They are advertising attacks on Bush's foreign policy that they once kept largely private. Last week, Oregon Sen. Gordon H. Smith gave a speech calling the current war strategy "absurd" and sent out a news release with his remarks.
Some longtime Bush allies, such as Texas Sen. John Cornyn, are even adopting Democratic rhetoric to criticize the Iraq war.
And on other issues that will confront the new Congress in January — including trade and judicial appointments — Republican lawmakers have signaled an unwillingness to follow the White House.
"Frankly, I think there is a greater recognition and awareness of the necessity for us to exercise checks and balances," said Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), noting how much the Nov. 7 election changed the climate on Capitol Hill.
"If there was a reluctance to express that in the past, there isn't anymore," Snowe said.
To be sure, no one is expecting Republicans to abandon the president. And the ideological gap between Democrats and Republicans in Congress remains large.
But Republican disaffection marks a remarkable turnabout for a president whose command of his party was once so supreme he virtually appointed the Senate majority leader and GOP lawmakers openly acknowledged taking orders from the White House.
(The rest is here.)
By Noam N. Levey
LATimes
WASHINGTON — President Bush, weakened by an unpopular war and the loss of Republican control in Congress, is now confronting disaffection within his own party that could complicate his attempt to set an agenda for his final two years in office.
As Republicans departed Capitol Hill this weekend, some who used to dismiss Democratic attempts to investigate the administration as political posturing are now lining up behind calls for greater oversight of the executive branch.
They are advertising attacks on Bush's foreign policy that they once kept largely private. Last week, Oregon Sen. Gordon H. Smith gave a speech calling the current war strategy "absurd" and sent out a news release with his remarks.
Some longtime Bush allies, such as Texas Sen. John Cornyn, are even adopting Democratic rhetoric to criticize the Iraq war.
And on other issues that will confront the new Congress in January — including trade and judicial appointments — Republican lawmakers have signaled an unwillingness to follow the White House.
"Frankly, I think there is a greater recognition and awareness of the necessity for us to exercise checks and balances," said Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), noting how much the Nov. 7 election changed the climate on Capitol Hill.
"If there was a reluctance to express that in the past, there isn't anymore," Snowe said.
To be sure, no one is expecting Republicans to abandon the president. And the ideological gap between Democrats and Republicans in Congress remains large.
But Republican disaffection marks a remarkable turnabout for a president whose command of his party was once so supreme he virtually appointed the Senate majority leader and GOP lawmakers openly acknowledged taking orders from the White House.
(The rest is here.)
Powered by Blogger
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home