Republican Revolt: Some Discuss Defying President

July 8, 2007 — -- After a week-long congressional recess, Senate leaders will start to unleash a flood of anti-war measures Monday -- everything from revoking the president's original authorization for the war to beginning troop withdrawals within a month.

"I think the dam is about to burst," Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., told CBS' "Face the Nation." "Republican senators who have been holding up a reasonable change in policy on this war are going home and getting hammered by their constituents."

Democrats still don't have the votes to pass most, if any, of the measures. But they intend to pressure Republicans and draw a sharp contrast on an issue that is working to their advantage in the 2008 campaign.

"We have a lot of work to do around the world," Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton said at a campaign stop, "starting with bringing our troops home from the civil war in Iraq."

For Republicans on the ballot in 2008, the war has become a serious liability.

"If the campaign were to take place in the current context, the Democrats would have a huge advantage, and this'd have to be on the minds of many Republicans," said Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

In fact, Republican support for the war appears to be cracking. This week, three more senior Republican senators called for a change of course in Iraq.

"The political support for this war is gone," Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., told NBC's "Meet the Press." "It's eroding. It's eroding in the Republican party."

The White House is asking lawmakers to withhold judgment about the effectiveness of the surge strategy until September, when military commanders issue a progress report.

And most Republicans, even those newly critical of the war, say they will not support a firm date for troop withdrawal.

"Most of them have gone out of their way to say they will not vote with the Democrats to mandate an end to the war," O'Hanlon said. "And if you were in the White House, you would see that as a major silver lining.