Changing minds in Congress about the war

Minds are being changed.  Some Republicans are furious at Harry Reid's all-nighter and some pronounce it counter-productive.  But Shailagh Murray and Elizabeth Williamson, Washington Post reporters, are finding signs that the tide is turning.

Sen. Johnny Isakson expected to be bored by the war speeches on the Senate floor Tuesday night; instead, the Georgia Republican was riveted by the passionate debate and spent hours soaking it in.

Much of the change is happening "below the radar," the Post reports.

The currents were moving forcefully, and not in Bush's favor. Rep. Dan Boren (Okla.), one of the handful of House Democrats who continue to support the White House's war policy, attended a Pentagon briefing Friday that so unnerved him, he decided to spend the weekend reviewing one of the bipartisan Senate plans for scaling back the U.S. mission.

"I did not get anything from the meeting . . . that makes me feel optimistic about their change in strategy," Boren said. "I just think they're not listening."

... Like Boren, the Republican stalwarts also sounded increasingly restless.

It's all about September and Petraeus' report. 

 

Jeff Danziger via the NYTimes. Click pic for clarity.