Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Bush Critics Want Iraq Failure
Congressional critics of President Bush's Iraq policy "seem to be rooting for failure," former White House chief of staff Andrew Card said Tuesday. In an interview with The Associated Press, Card said lawmakers' efforts to mandate withdrawal timelines and threats to cut funding go beyond the scope of their duties. And he blamed critics in both parties for putting a negative slant on the war.
"We should be rooting for success," Card said. "I'm very upset that I see many of his critics, who are partisans, Republicans or Democrats, who seem to be rooting for failure. You know, they don't like his plan, therefore they want it to fail."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has said he would try to eliminate money for the war if Bush rejects Congress' proposal to set a deadline to end combat. Besides Reid, Card said, "there are several of them who are getting in the way of the president's plans being implemented."
"Their job is to fund it, provide policy guidance through laws, but they're not supposed to be the tacticians," Card said. "I find that far too many members of Congress are trying to be tacticians."
Card rejected any talk that Bush is too secluded as a leader and rarely hears opposing viewpoints.
"It is unfair, during my experience with the president, to tag him as being in a bubble or isolated," Card said. "And he certainly did not receive monolithic counsel and advice during my tenure as chief of staff."
Card was responding to former Bush pollster and strategist Matthew Dowd's criticism in Sunday's New York Times that Bush's "my way or the highway" leadership style and his like-minded inner circle have made him more "secluded and bubbled in" as president.
"I don't see him as Matthew Dowd described him," Card said. "I think there is a myth around the president that allows that definition to have more traction than it should. But I think it's a myth. It's not the George Bush that I know."
Card, who was chief of staff from January 2001 through April 2006, said Bush was eager to hear divergent views before he made a decision.
"There was always a healthy debate," Card said. "The president encouraged a healthy debate. In fact, he used to tell us regularly, 'If you present me one option, you're presenting me with a decision. And I want several options, so that I can make a decision."'
As for his own future, Card downplayed prospects that he would run for office in his home state, Massachusetts. Some Republicans want him to challenge Sen. John Kerry, who is up for re-election in 2008, or else run for governor.
"If people are waiting around for me to be a candidate, they shouldn't waste their time," Card said.
He said his close Bush ties would make it hard to run in Massachusetts, a Democratic-dominated state.
"It's a tough state to run as a Republican," he said. "It would be an especially significant challenge to run as a Republican who is not afraid to be associated with a president named Bush."
Congressional critics of President Bush's Iraq policy "seem to be rooting for failure," former White House chief of staff Andrew Card said Tuesday. In an interview with The Associated Press, Card said lawmakers' efforts to mandate withdrawal timelines and threats to cut funding go beyond the scope of their duties. And he blamed critics in both parties for putting a negative slant on the war.
"We should be rooting for success," Card said. "I'm very upset that I see many of his critics, who are partisans, Republicans or Democrats, who seem to be rooting for failure. You know, they don't like his plan, therefore they want it to fail."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has said he would try to eliminate money for the war if Bush rejects Congress' proposal to set a deadline to end combat. Besides Reid, Card said, "there are several of them who are getting in the way of the president's plans being implemented."
"Their job is to fund it, provide policy guidance through laws, but they're not supposed to be the tacticians," Card said. "I find that far too many members of Congress are trying to be tacticians."
Card rejected any talk that Bush is too secluded as a leader and rarely hears opposing viewpoints.
"It is unfair, during my experience with the president, to tag him as being in a bubble or isolated," Card said. "And he certainly did not receive monolithic counsel and advice during my tenure as chief of staff."
Card was responding to former Bush pollster and strategist Matthew Dowd's criticism in Sunday's New York Times that Bush's "my way or the highway" leadership style and his like-minded inner circle have made him more "secluded and bubbled in" as president.
"I don't see him as Matthew Dowd described him," Card said. "I think there is a myth around the president that allows that definition to have more traction than it should. But I think it's a myth. It's not the George Bush that I know."
Card, who was chief of staff from January 2001 through April 2006, said Bush was eager to hear divergent views before he made a decision.
"There was always a healthy debate," Card said. "The president encouraged a healthy debate. In fact, he used to tell us regularly, 'If you present me one option, you're presenting me with a decision. And I want several options, so that I can make a decision."'
As for his own future, Card downplayed prospects that he would run for office in his home state, Massachusetts. Some Republicans want him to challenge Sen. John Kerry, who is up for re-election in 2008, or else run for governor.
"If people are waiting around for me to be a candidate, they shouldn't waste their time," Card said.
He said his close Bush ties would make it hard to run in Massachusetts, a Democratic-dominated state.
"It's a tough state to run as a Republican," he said. "It would be an especially significant challenge to run as a Republican who is not afraid to be associated with a president named Bush."
