Bush seeks compromise on Iraq benchmarks - is he worried about the GoP?
Bush seeks compromise on Iraq benchmarks:
Bush's willingness to put benchmarks in a war-funding bill represented a shift by the president.
"One message I have heard from people of both parties is that benchmarks make sense and I agree," Bush said. He said his chief of staff, Joshua Bolten, would talk with congressional leaders "to find common ground" on benchmarks.
I agree--Bush is getting worried. And with good reason. He has been rejected by the American people to the extent that the only leverage he has left is the veto. But that depends on the Republicans in Congress backing him. If the "Republican coalition" fails to hold--and it is cracking--Bush has zero leverage.
And bear in mind the Democrats DO have a majjority. They need only 1/3 of the Republicans to override a veto.
This is more than likely a result of the meetings between him and 11 GOP Senators yesterday where they told him he did not have any credibility when it came to the war and that they were getting tired of taking political hits.