Bush frustrates Democrats on war

WASHINGTON — Slouching in a chair in his Capitol suite Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid did little to hide his frustration over the defeat of Democrats' latest bid to rein in the Iraq war.

"The power of the White House was too much," the Nevada Democrat said.

Reid and other senior Democrats had failed again Wednesday to persuade more than a handful of Republicans to back a proposal to give troops more rest between deployments, a move that would constrain their use in Iraq.

And although Reid pledged to keep working on legislation to force an end to the war, there were no new ideas on how to outmaneuver a president who has derailed every effort this year to challenge his wartime leadership.

Senior Democrats have not devised ways to counter the Bush administration's use of military officials who caution against congressional meddling in national security.

Democrats also remain tied to an anti-war movement that repulses many moderate Republicans, many of whom recoiled at the MoveOn.org newspaper ad attacking Army Gen. David Petraeus ahead of his testimony last week.

Democratic leaders also continue to be stymied by GOP senators uncomfortable challenging the White House, which has skillfully exploited that unease to control defections.

Senate Democrats last week had talked of working with Republicans to overcome the partisan impasse that has scuttled war-related legislation.

The measure on resting the troops, sponsored by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., had garnered seven GOP votes in July, more than any other proposal to rein in the war. And other Republicans since had expressed reservations about the lack of political progress in Iraq.

But, starting with Petraeus' testimony before House and Senate committees, Democrats saw their momentum slip away. He talked of progress and success in a way previous commanders in Iraq had not.

"It froze everyone," said Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., who has voted for a troop withdrawal. "I know the nervousness has not gone away, but I think hope was rekindled."

Other senior officers followed, including Gen. Carter Ham, who led an infantry division in Iraq and now oversees operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He and a second three-star general met Wednesday with five GOP senators, including ones who had been considering supporting Webb's measure. The commanders argued that the Webb measure would mean longer deployments for some troops and a planning nightmare for the military.

Within hours, senior Republicans were citing the generals on the Senate floor, including Virginia Sen. John Warner, who had backed Webb's amendment in July, and Pennsylvania's Sen. Arlen Specter, whom Democrats had hoped would join them now. Both voted against the Webb bill.

While the military officers helped pull Republicans away from Democrats, the party's anti-war wing provided a push.

Despite Reid's recent talk of compromise, he and other war critics — in and out of the Senate — have spent much of the year working with anti-war groups to attack GOP lawmakers in their home states.

That has taken a toll.

"It's just all politics all the time," Smith said. "This is all about teeing up the 2008 elections, and it has very little to do with governing. And that's a huge disappointment."

By the time MoveOn.org ran its ad last week accusing Petraeus of betrayal in his assessment of the situation in Iraq, few Republicans had much interest in signing on to the Democratic anti-war effort.

"At the very moment that Democrats need to draw them to a majority, they drive them away with language that is hostile and angry," said Frank Luntz, a GOP pollster. "That is not the approach that works. ... The White House is lucky that it has opponents like MoveOn."

All Democratic leaders could talk about Thursday was more confrontation, however.

"We are going to change the policy in this war," said Illinois' Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat. "I hope it's this month, but if not, the battle will continue."