A couple of days ago, Greg Sargent came up with a description for those Republican senators who express deep, heartfelt reservations about the president’s Iraq policy, only to vote against every possible measure intended to change that policy: WINOs — Waverers in Name Only. It’s hard not to like it; the description clearly fits Sens. Lugar, Warner, Domenici, Alexander, and Voinovich.<\/p>\n
Harold Meyerson has a hard-hitting column<\/a> today, calling the group “spineless specimens,” who “don’t actually want to act on their perception.” More importantly, Meyerson explains nicely what they would<\/i> prefer to meaningful legislation from Democrats.<\/p>\n [T]hey have drafted legislation that would require the administration to draw up plans for a pullback — but not to implement them. Indeed, they act continually as if George Bush and Dick Cheney are amenable to argument and open to facts. “I’m hopeful they’ll change their minds,” Domenici said last week after a meeting with national security adviser Stephen Hadley. “I think we should continue to ratchet up the pressure, in addition to our words,” said Voinovich, “to let the White House know we are very sincere.”<\/p>\n Very sincere — now there’s a threat that concentrates the mind. These Republicans who proclaim their independence without acting on it have failed to come to terms with the single most important reality confronting them: that Bush and Cheney will keep the war going until Congress forces them to stop.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n A child could understand this. The WINOs believe that if they pass toothless, non-binding measures, the president will be “persuaded” to adopt a new policy. Bush will, apparently, be overwhelmed by the senators’ stern pretty-please request to move away from failure. Please.<\/p>\n And sure enough, today the WINOs are lining up, taking their usual position, and announcing that they’re going to keep voting exactly as the White House wants them to. So it looks as if GOP Senators Richard Lugar, Pete Domenici, and George Voinovich are all determined to remain in the GOP WINO caucus — they will all continue to oppose the latest Dem measure mandating withdrawal from Iraq.<\/p>\n In today’s Times article on last night’s Senate showdown, we learn that Lugar and Domenici will vote against the Reed-Levin amendment, which would mandate withdrawal by April 2008. From the piece: “Senators Richard G. Lugar of Indiana and Pete V. Domenici of New Mexico, two senior Republicans who recently delivered a high-profile criticism of the administration’s Iraq policy, also planned to oppose the Democratic plan, aides said.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Voinovich, the one who likes to tell people that Bush has “f**ked up” the war, will reportedly do the same.<\/p>\n The only thing I’d add to Greg’s report is that this WINO caucus is not only poised to keep voting in defense of a policy they know is wrong, but they’re also going to keep voting to support the filibuster<\/i>. It’s offensive enough to back a failed policy that makes us less safe, but these guys won’t even let a superior policy go to the Senate floor for an up-or-down vote. They want to back failure and<\/i> support obstructionism, all the while emphasizing how sincere they are about a change in direction.<\/p>\n
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\nGreg Sargent explains<\/a>:<\/p>\n