Some Democrats Coming to Terms with Iraq Split
By REUTERS
Published: June 23, 2006
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With Iraq looming over critical U.S. congressional elections this year and the 2008 presidential campaign, some Democrats are beginning to be less fearful of the party split over the war.
While President George W. Bush, his political architect Karl Rove and Republicans in Congress step up their attacks, Democrats say the fact they are challenging the administration's conduct of the war will play well with voters in November when the balance of power in the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives is at stake.
"We don't have a single answer," said Simon Rosenberg, founder of the centrist New Democrat Network. "I don't think we need one."
Democrats have differed openly on options in Iraq, ranging from quick withdrawal of the 129,000 U.S. troops there, to a gradual pullout, to the need for a stand-down plan, to support for the war effort....
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"I'm confident if you're a Democratic audience, there's a split view on Iraq," Sen. Joseph Biden told a New Democrat Network conference on Thursday. "But one thing we're not divided on, we're not divided on how badly this administration has bungled the war."...
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-iraq-politics-democrats.html