Home-Front Battles Over a Faraway War
Washington is emptying out for August, but all sides are working overtime to influence the coming debate on Iraq
The death toll of 78 U.S. troops during the month of July, while tragic, was actually the lowest number since last November, and the news was hailed by administration supporters as evidence that the president's "surge" is working. But this was quickly overshadowed by three bombings in Baghdad that killed at least 75 people on August 1, and the announcement of the partial withdrawal by Iraq's largest Sunni political bloc from the coalition government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Despite such setbacks, the White House is pressing on. Increasingly, Bush advisers are echoing the military commanders in the field in arguing that things are going better in Iraq than the mainstream media are portraying. "We'll be linking up to what they are doing in Baghdad," says a senior administration official. That's partly because the military's credibility is a lot better than the commander in chief's, Bush advisers admit. The White House's goal is to at least keep Republicans on the president's side. "The idea is to firm up the base," says an informal Bush strategist. "We all know that if he can't do that, he won't be able to pursue the war" because support among congressional Republicans will collapse.
Briefings. The Republican National Committee is running a "war room" of sorts, sending out detailed reports to supporters and journalists describing how well the Iraq effort is going. White House Press Secretary Tony Snow has begun using his daily briefings to present slides, charts, and graphs to offer a largely positive view of the conflict. Snow told U.S. News that the mainstream media generally "ignore the accomplishments" of American forces in Iraq as they emphasize negative stories.
For his part, Bush will make a series of speeches around the country to rally support for the war in coming weeks, and he is considering making a prime-time speech to the nation in September. "He's as fully engaged as I've seen him," says a senior administration official. "He's the one with all the energy that keeps us jacked up." Bush, who recently turned 61, doesn't let the endless criticism of the war get him down, and he tries his best to avoid being isolated. "He reads the papers," the official says. "He knows what's going on." And he is said to realize the challenge he faces in turning around public opinion and keeping Congress in line.
But in the end, Bush remains optimistic. He tells friends he is confident the September report will help make his case that the war is worth fighting and will be won—and that he can persuade the nation to persevere.
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