By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
WASHINGTON - Democrats and Republicans are at odds on whether
to use President Bush's catchall phrase "global war on
terrorism" when talking about the billions of dollars
spent each year in Iraq and elsewhere.
A new internal memo by a senior Democratic staff member urged
aides to drop the term from their legislative dictionaries
because it was too broad. The directive quickly led to a linguistic
dispute between the parties.
"The attempt by Democrats to erase the words 'global'
and 'terror' from our current war is an absurd effort to deny
the fact that America is battling terrorism on a global scale," said
House Republican leader John Boehner (news, bio, voting record),
R-Ohio. "How do Democrats expect America to fight and
win a war they deny is even taking place?"
At the heart of the debate is whether efforts in Iraq should
be linked to the U.S. fight against al-Qaida.
Bush used al-Qaida and the Sept. 11 attacks as leading justifications
for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, although intelligence officials
later disputed the connection.
U.S. officials say some members of al-Qaida have since joined
the fight in Iraq against American forces, and Bush has said
success in Iraq is critical to winning the fight against terrorism.
"I don't think the enemy makes the distinction" between
the fights in Iraq and Afghanistan, said White House counselor
Dan Bartlett. "I don't think we should."
Democrats, however, say they are tired of Bush's use of the
blanket term "global war on terror" to justify individual
military operations and their hefty budgets.
Erin Conaton, the Democratic staff director of the House Armed
Services Committee, urged aides in a March 27 memo to "avoid
using colloquialisms," such as the "war on terrorism" or
the "long war," and not to use the term "global
war on terrorism." In preparing the annual defense authorization
bill, the staff is directed to be more specific, such as referring
to operations in Iraq.
Rep. Ike Skelton (news, bio, voting record), the committee
chairman and Conaton's boss, defended the memo.
"GOP objections to our efforts to clarify legislative
language represent the typical Republican leadership attempt
to tie together the misadventure in Iraq and the overall war
against terrorists," Skelton, D-Mo., said in a statement
Wednesday.
"The Iraq war is separate and distinct from the war against
terrorists, who have their genesis in Afghanistan and who attacked
us on 9/11, and the American people understand this," Skelton
said.
The dispute also pointed out the tensions among lawmakers
concerning the war debate. Congress adjourned last week for
spring break after Democrats rammed through legislation that
would fund the war in Iraq but order troops to begin coming
home.
The House and Senate are expected by the end of the month
to send Bush a compromise that will set some timetable on the
war. Bush has promised to veto it; Republicans say they will
support him.
In recent days, the two sides have struggled for the upper
hand. Democrats contend they have public opinion on their side.
Bush says majority Democrats are turning their backs on troops.
Stacey Farnen Bernards, spokeswoman for House Majority Leader
Steny Hoyer (news, bio, voting record), D-Md., said Republicans
were playing "silly word games in an attempt to score
political points" in the debate.
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