Yesterday, one brave member of Congress called the Bush administration’s approach to Iraq “one of the most misguided assumptions in the history of United States strategic thinking.” This same lawmaker added that the U.S. occupation of Iraq could increase the threat to American security.
The funny thing is this congressman is a Republican.
Rep. Jim Leach (R-Iowa), who not only initially backed Bush on the war but also used to work for Donald Rumsfeld, told reporters yesterday that he expects us to be in Iraq for at least another six years, despite the administration’s more optimistic timetable. Leach added that that our long-term presence in Iraq will create “more problems around the world and, potentially, in the United States as well.”
And who is Rep. Leach? As the Center for American Progress pointed out, Dick Cheney has called Leach “one of the most respected members of Congress” who is a “careful thinker” and “an independent voice.”
I bet Cheney didn’t realize just how “independent” Leach was willing to be.