From The Miami Herald
By Marie Cocco

From its inception, the Iraq War has been President Bush’s signature project.

It was conceived by a small band of neoconservatives who had on their side the vice president’s robust agreement and unflagging determination to have the United States return to Iraq. They, in turn, had the president’s ear.

The public has long seen Iraq as Bush’s war. It is why his approval ratings soared with what appeared to be initial success, and why they have sunk with the prospects for anything resembling an American victory. Now the war belongs to the GOP.

That is really what happened in the House the other day. All but two Republicans opposed the Democrats on the vote in favor of a war funding measure that seeks to wind down American military involvement with a set of political benchmarks that the Iraqi government and Bush himself have long espoused but never attained.

The same is about to occur in the Senate, when it votes this week on a war spending bill that includes a ”goal” — but no requirement — of bringing U.S. combat troops home in a year. Having first blocked even debate on a nonbinding resolution on Iraq in the Senate, Republicans there now will be almost unanimous in opposing this more robust bill.

They are standing with Bush.

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