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Lieberman, Graham find common ground with Lugar |
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By Elana Schor
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Posted: 06/29/07 07:09 PM [ET] |
After a week that saw two GOP senators edge close to defection from the president’s Iraq strategy, Sens. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) yesterday set out to ensure no more Republicans turn against the war.
Lieberman and Graham, both constant in their support of maintaining present troop levels in Iraq, took pains to point out where they agreed with Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), who has called for military disengagement, as has Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio).
Lieberman urged senators to “heed [Lugar’s] warning and take rapid, large withdrawal off the table.” He predicted Lugar, Voinovich and other Republicans under pressure would oppose the binding timetable for withdrawal backed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) during pivotal defense authorization votes just after recess, but offered no guarantees for the outcome of a less stringent withdrawal measure written by Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.).
“We’re going to have a difficult time of it with the defense authorization bill,” Graham said. “I hope we don’t question each other’s patriotism.”
Both senators pleaded with colleagues to tone down criticism of the troop “surge” in Iraq until September, when Gen. David Petraeus, senior commander in Iraq, is slated to report to Congress. Yet Graham acknowledged, “There’s nothing magic about September in [Iraqis’] world,” advising the embattled Iraqi government to produce political results during the summer that Petraeus can use as evidence of progress.
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