European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 4, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                July 2007 stars and stripes Page 17 opinion Iraq answer is somewhere Over the horizon by Marsha Mercer Media general news service Washington even the White House was Blind sided when Richard a highly respected called for a change of course in How to respond Day one Dis miss the surprising speech As old this is Dick Lugar repeating a Posi said White House press Secretary Tony Day two neutralize sugars criticism by embracing what Hes really talking about is the overt horizon strategy and the presi Dent has used that term Snow the Over the what spin Funda mental differences separate Bush and Lugar on War while both men say the United states needs to be in Iraq Long term to ensure stability that the overt horizon part they see the present and immediate future very differ Bush urges give the troop surge More time and the iraqis will take Over their own democracy will Bloom and All will be not going to says former chairman of the Senate foreign relations a pragmatist known for his expertise in International when Lugar finished his 50minute speech on the Senate Bush Iraq strategy looked like an elaborate Sand Castle Lugar had just walked staying the course is not a viable of Lugar forget engineering a Multi Setari an government in Iraq anytime its not feasible because of political fragmentation in growing stress on the Mili tary and the presidential he first and iraqis dont want to be we May bemoan he but its not surprising when you consider their the various factions dont want they can and will out wait we overestimated what the military can set unrealistic goals and failed to consider the regional consequences of our said whats needed is a bipartisan plan Between Congress and Bush to reduce troop strength in redeploy forces and give diplomacy and economic Aid a the speech is on his web a 30year Senate Veteran from is a rare creature in Hes a he saw the risks of Loose nukes Long before and sponsored the Law that deactivated nuclear weapons in Russia and the former soviet he still believes in bipartisan ship and i speak to my fellow senators when i say that the president is not the Only Ameri can Leader who will have to make adjust ments to his or her he Lauren Victoria burk0ap Richard is questioned by reporters regarding Iraq on Capitol Hill on june the Day after he said in a floor speech that the should reduce its military role in Iraq and promote each of us should take a step Back from the sloganeering rhetoric and political of a Day George re publican of underscored the presi dents War Voinovich called for a change of course and sent Bush a position paper outlining the Way Forward in his plan e for exit Calls for Mili tary neither Lugar nor Voinovich wants to abandon which ironically is Why they Are calling for they fear that wait ing will make a poorly planned withdrawal More not and that would be both also believe that Bush needs to bring Iraq neighbors to the Lugar suggested that the Mammoth embassy being built in Baghdad would be a Fine place for an International Middle East he identified two elephants in the room of Middle East policy the Ara israeli conflict and dependence on persian Gulf the former is beyond our he but the latter is some thing we can the midwesterner is a big fan of Cor based and he believes the fed eral government should make Auto fuel Economy a As if the two senior republicans we rent headache enough for the White pub Lic opinion continues to surge against the War Here and does All this mean were at a tipping Point not the president seems Likely to stick with his surge at least until september and possibly but other republicans Are Likely to follow sugars thoughtful criticism of the As for an overt horizon it May be to pull president Bush onto a new path in Marsha Mercer is Media generals Washington Bureau a disdain for the military could Cost the the War b a Kevin Ferris bestselling author Robert Buzz Patterson int Subtle when it comes to the first Book by the talk radio retired air Force colonel and onetime White House military was dereliction of duty the eyewitness account of How Bill Clin ton compromised americas National be last week saw the release of War crimes the lefts Campaign to destroy our military and lose the War on that Lack of subtlety so w1n5lcws n0t continues inside at their nations time of need in this global ideological the american left has climbed into bed with our he they demoralize our Brave men and women in uniform and Drain our nation of its resolve to fight by convincing politicians and the general Public that this is a m War we cannot endure fighting any Long pal wkly us he names five elements in the unholy democratic popular leftist the big Liberal and foundations and nongovernmental organizations that fund Antiwar in the paperback Patter son can add congressional including Richard Lugar and George who last week declared their Lack of Faith in the troops urge strategy never mind that the last brigade Only recently arrived in not everyone in these areas disdains the military or roots for the other Side in the War on Patterson admits in an but plenty and they have been Active and vocal enough that they have drawn the More moderate voices into a majority for he they have been inadvertently aided by the Bush administrations own mistakes and the horribly in effective communications of both the White House and the some readers would have been satisfied with Patterson listing the leftist sins and sinners from the Vietnam Era to and his detailing of the past 40 years of anti Mil itary and ant american movements that have found renewed purpose with the War in but that want the Patterson wanted to demonstrate the real world consequences of those working to undermine to do he went to the front lines to interview about 300 troops during a visit to Iraq in two things stood out from those inter the off the charts High morale of the vast majority of the soldiers and marines in the and their firm belief both in the lightness of the cause and their ability to ultimately prevail if Given the an increasing feeling of being undermined and and the Cor alienating effects of those heres one army first sergeants reaction to Media coverage and leftist opposition of the War you Are creating greater risk for me personally and you create added danger for my you feed into enemy enemy propaganda efforts in yielding unlimited Access to presaged voices with calculated you diminish and demean our More dire is a quote from an army Mas Ter sergeant the enemy is becoming the very people whom we defend with our and they do not realize but in denouncing our denouncing our Lead denouncing the War we live and they Are isolating the military from society and they Are becoming our and that was said two years before sen ate majority Leader Harry declared the War or questioned the competence of Marine Peter chairman of the joint and the Reli ability of David whom the Senate unanimously confirmed this year to Lead the change in strategy in Patterson asks in the what coun try sends its men and women to War through National decree knowing some will give their All in sacrifice yet Withers in resolve at the first signs of difficulty and Abandons the will to fight what country duly elected often from both sides of the shame Lessly exploit a conflict they voted to Autho Rize in doing barter the sacrifice of american soldiers for political capital with More votes on Iraq funding com it will soon be Clear whether those poli and others whom Patterson Calls the enemy will further isolate the military and in the process lose a Kevin Ferris is commentary Page editor of the Philadelphia by Scott Stantis