I guess the elections last week is starting to bother the Republicans in
Senate. Now they want to pass a resolution forcing Bush to set a clear plan to
withdrawal from Iraq and also supply them with quarterly updates. The plan stops
short of requiring an actual timeline.

From today’s

New York Times

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 – In a sign of increasing unease among Congressional
Republicans over the war in Iraq, the Senate is to consider on Tuesday a
Republican proposal that calls for Iraqi forces to take the lead next year in
securing the nation and for the Bush administration to lay out its strategy for
ending the war.

The Senate is also scheduled to vote Tuesday on a compromise, announced
Monday night, that would allow terror detainees some access to federal courts.
The Senate had voted last week to prohibit those being held from challenging
their detentions in federal court, despite a Supreme Court ruling to the
contrary.

Full article

here

Now what Republican would show that unease and break ranks from the party
like that?

The proposal on the Iraq war, from Senator Bill Frist, the majority
leader, and Senator John W. Warner, Republican of Virginia, chairman of the
Armed Services Committee, would require the administration to provide
extensive new quarterly reports to Congress on subjects like progress in
bringing in other countries to help stabilize Iraq. The other appeals
related to Iraq are nonbinding and express the position of the Senate.

Not Bill Frist! He has decided to finally listen to the people of this
country complain about the war and want an end to it. You can tell he is worried
about polls and the results from last Tuesday. This plan sure sounds similar to
the one the Democrats, you know the party without plans or visions, has been
asking for all along.

The plan stops short of a competing Democratic proposal that moves toward
establishing dates for a phased withdrawal of troops from Iraq. But it is
built upon the Democratic approach and makes it clear that senators of both
parties are increasingly eager for Iraqis to take control of their country
in coming months and open the door to removing American troops.

So it is basically the Democrat’s plan with a couple minor changes. For a
party that has no plans, the Republicans sure like borrowing from them. True
this is also an indicator that partisanship could be slowly decreasing in the
Senate and that has to really frighten Bush.

Democrats said the plan represented a shift in Republican sentiment on
Iraq and was an acknowledgment of growing public unrest with the course of
the war and the administration’s frequent call for patience. “I think it
signals the fact that the American people are demanding change, and the
Republicans see that that’s something that they have to follow,” said
Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader.

Mr. Frist said an important reason for the Republican proposal was to
offer an alternative to the Democratic call for a withdrawal timetable. “The
real objective was to get out of this timeline of cutting and running that
the Democrats have in their amendment,” he said.

Mr. Warner said he decided to take the Democratic proposal and edit it to
his satisfaction in an effort to find common ground between the parties on
the issue.

OK maybe not a total end in partisanship. It seems like Frist still wants to
use the Democrats plan against the Democrats while trying to offer his own plan
based upon the Democrats plan. At least it is a move in the right direction
though. I am sure there will be a push to get the troops, or at least a majority
of them out by next October. The Republicans will most likely try that in order
to hopefully save a few votes in the mid-term elections.

This bill will also allow detainees at Guantanamo some access to federal
courts. Last week it was looking like Senate would bar that access but with the
apparent complaints they have heard from their action they realize it was not
the right move.

Now what about phase 2? We were suppose to hear something about that
yesterday and never did. Perhaps the Republicans are also feeling this will
delay that a little more and buy them some damage control time. I doubt Harry
Reid will give up that easily though. I bet the vote on this is scheduled for
late in the day so if the Democrats do try anything then Frist can take to the
microphones and start his crying and whining again.

Politics – it is better than any soap opera!