"There's a real deep concern now," said Rep. John M. Spratt Jr.
(S.C.).
"People are wondering how much this will cost in money and lives and
how are we gonna get out of there? I had one teacher say, 'We've got a
tar baby on our hands.' "
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said his constituents "have gone from a
sense of exhilaration over the victory to a sense of deep concern.
They need to be told what it's going to take and what to expect."
Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.), who supported the resolution
authorizing the use of force against Saddam Hussein, said, "There's
been an amazing turnaround" in Las Vegas.
"There was tremendous support here" for military action.
"Now a lot of people are questioning: Are we stuck there? Is it going
to be another Vietnam? Once we passed the threshold, where more people
were killed after we declared victory than before, people began to
keep a body count."
Nonetheless, said Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), "there's also a recognition
that we cannot just pull up stakes and leave."
The mood, he said, "is something between resignation and
determination."
In a similar vein, Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) said, "There's some
concern as they see us losing troops on a fairly regular basis, but
the sentiment is that this isn't the time for us to cut and run. They
want to know, how are things really going? Is it as bad as it seems on
the news?"
Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) said some Americans link the worrisome
bulletins from Iraq to concerns about budget deficits and
unemployment, making them "very tentative and unsure."
As a result, he said, the administration is likely to face "a lot of
tough questions" this fall.
Administration officials are bracing for a barrage of congressional
hearings on Iraq policy.
The Senate Armed Services Committee plans to hear next week from
Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz and Gen. Richard B. Myers,
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee also is expected to have an
Iraq hearing this month.
Hyde plans to hold a hearing next week on his "Iraq Liberation Act of
2003," which, among other things, urges Bush to involve NATO and other
nations in "a major peacekeeping and civil order mission" in Iraq.
Hyde said he was accelerating his action because "I think the
insurgency that's going on in Iraq is dangerous and shows no signs of
lessening. The effort to involve other countries in the rehabilitation
and pacification of Iraq seems to be foundering right now. There seems
to be a lack of consensus within the administration."
Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.), chairman of the appropriations
subcommittee with jurisdiction over the State Department, echoed that
concern, saying the administration needs to bring in "as many NATO
countries as possible, as quickly as possible."
Much of the pressure to bring in other forces stems from a concern
about the length of U.S. troop deployments and the risks troops face
each day.
"There's an ongoing debate and concern about when these servicemen and
women, those in the National Guard and Reserves, are coming home,
particularly when [Americans] turn on the television and see a
mounting toll every day," Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.) said.
"They would like the world community to be involved," said Rep. Allen
Boyd Jr. (D-Fla.).
"They don't think we can do it ourselves."
From The Washington Post, 9/2/03:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16990-2003Sep2.html
Congress Seeking Bush's Iraq Strategy
Lawmakers Express Nation's Growing Unease
By David S. Broder and Mike Allen
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, September 3, 2003; Page A10
Returning members of Congress yesterday reported growing concern among
their constituents about the turmoil and casualties in Iraq, signaling
more pressure from Capitol Hill for President Bush to spell out his
strategy for gaining control of the postwar situation.
Rep. Henry J. Hyde (R-Ill.), chairman of the House International
Relations Committee, reflecting a sense of anxiety heard by members of
both parties, said he wants to "combat a sense of drift" about U.S.
policy in Iraq and bring in more international assistance.
Most of the half-dozen senators interviewed yesterday said they sensed
mounting unease over the series of bombings in Iraq and the continuing
loss of American lives.
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Like the ole Roach Motel. Ya can check in, but ya can't check out.
Harry
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