GOP's "brilliant plan" to vote for, then veto, Iraq timetable

Rush Limbaugh thinks the Republicans' "plan" for the Senate to narrowly pass the bill calling for a withdrawal timetable, only to have Bush veto it, was "brilliant." I sense spin doctoring here by him and the White House (see below).

There may indeed have been a planned agreement among Bush and certain Republican Congressmen, who felt they couldn't afford to vote against this bill. But its purpose was not to "get to the business of presenting the president a clean [Iraq war] bill." Its purpose would have been to provide political cover for certain Congressmen in their home districts, while allowing Bush not to capitulate to the Democrats and public opinion, (which Bush loathes).

But how many more times can this "plan" work, if the Democrats stick to their guns and keep sending bills on withdrawal up for a vote? Think about 2008. Democrats can run for Congress, boasting truthfully that they listen to public opinion, which is 70% in favor of withdrawal. They can scapegoat Bush as a partisan roadblock. And the Democratic presidential nominee can force the GOP nominee to say he agrees with Bush (who is terribly unpopular), or with the Democrats and public opinion. It's a win-win proposition for Democrats.

Every time Bush vetoes one of these bills, the Republicans lose precious swing votes in 2008. Stay tuned!....


From Rushlimbaugh.com
March 28, 2007
Mitch McConnell's Brilliant Senate Move

[...]

PERINO (White House Spokesman): I read a report this morning that indicated that somehow the Senate Republicans were defying the president. Actually, that's not the case. In fact, last week when the president met with the Senate Republican leadership. They talked about needing to go ahead and get this vote over with and get the bill to the president's desk so he could veto it so that they could go on and get to the business of presenting the president a clean bill.

HELEN THOMAS (WH press corps): It was planned?

PERINO: If you look through the president's remarks on Friday, he indicated that.

RUSH: Helen Thomas thinks it's a conspiracy now! It's a conspiracy, folks, because Bush met with the Senate Republicans and they planned something. They did it in secret, and now the White House press secretary has made it known. "It was a plan? Really? Well, who could we subpoena on that? Who could we bring up and make 'em take the fifth on that?" So I offer this sound bite here, just a little reassurance for you people out there worried that the president would not veto it. I think he clearly wants to. I think he'd like to veto it today, to tell you the truth.