GOP Senate Campaign Chief: “Democrats Are Seeking To Exploit The Iraq War”

Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), the chairwoman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee – charged with maintaining the GOP majority in the United States Senate, blasted Democrats today for treating the war in Iraq as a "political football."

"Iraq has a great effect on the political environment and it is the greatest issue on the minds of the American people," said Dole at a joint event with her Democratic counterpart, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

"Democrats around the country are seeking to exploit the Iraq war to gain electoral advantage," charged Dole.

Dole went on to describe the consequences of the immediate withdrawal or phased redeployment of troops out of Iraq for which many Democrats have expressed support.  Dole said that "Iran and Syria will fill the power vacuum" and the United States would likely have to return to Iraq before too long after that.  "What does leaving Iraq at this point accomplish?," Dole asked rhetorically.

Sen. Dole concluded her opening remarks by quoting from a recently released campaign ad from Rep. Mark Kennedy’s (R-MN) Senate campaign as an example of how she seems to think Republicans can talk about Iraq without alienating voters who have soured on the war.  In his ad, Kennedy states, "none of us like war, and we’ve made some mistakes in Iraq."  Kennedy goes on to say that "leaving Iraq now will create a breeding ground for new attacks on America" and he concludes by saying, "I approve this message, even though I know it may not be what you want to hear."

In response to Dole’s remarks, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman Phil Singer says, "Considering that Republicans from Bush to Cheney to Rove have based their electoral strategies on exploiting the war, it’s difficult to take Dole’s comments seriously. The public wants change in Iraq and the only way to get it is by voting for Democrats."