Via Stephen Spruiell at the NRO Media Blog: Republicans fear they're losing the PR war over the Iraq debate. Mitch McConnell has been maneuvering to try and get Senator "Surge" McCain's rival resolution to the floor - as well as Judd Gregg's White-House-backed attempt to get Senators to promise not to cut off funding for the war.
The day after Senate Republicans effectively blocked debate on an anti-"surge" resolution, some in the caucus are growing increasingly alarmed over indications that they are losing the public relations battle to the Democrats. The Los Angeles Times says that although Republicans continue "to insist...that they simply want a fair debate," by yesterday some Republicans were concerned "the public would misunderstand their stance." The Capitol Hill publication Roll Call describes a concerned Senate Republican leadership yesterday struggling "to shift their focus away from complaints about parliamentary procedure and onto which party is best supporting the troops." Republicans, adds Roll Call, "found themselves on the losing end of the public relations fight as they woke up to headlines across the country pinning the blame squarely on them. 'It doesn't matter what's going on the floor. It's all about media,' one senior GOP aide said Tuesday."Hm... take that last sentence, substitute "in the war" for "on the floor," and you've suddenly arrived at the Michelle Malkin Theory of Iraq. Coincidence?
Labels: Iraq, Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senate