Post-invasion (2003–11) Iraq United States United Kingdom
98-409: Awakening Council Supported by : [REDACTED] Iran [REDACTED] Iraqi Kurdistan Post-invasion (2003–11) [REDACTED] Ba'ath loyalists [REDACTED] Sunni insurgents [REDACTED] Shia insurgents Supported by : [REDACTED] Iran The Iraq War troop surge of 2007, commonly known as the troop surge , or simply the surge , refers to
196-786: A non-binding resolution that said it was "not in the national interest of the United States to deepen its military involvement in Iraq." Awakening Council Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.132 via cp1112 cp1112, Varnish XID 952010098 Upstream caches: cp1112 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:46:58 GMT 2006 United States general elections The 2006 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 7, 2006, in
294-811: A 49–49 tie in the United States Senate . The Senate figure is sometimes quoted in the media as 51–49, which includes two members who ran as independent candidates: Bernie Sanders and Joe Lieberman , who promised to caucus with the Democrats. The final Senate result was decided when Democrat Jim Webb was declared the winner in Virginia against incumbent George Allen , as reported by the Associated Press . On November 9, 2006, Allen and fellow Republican incumbent Sen. Conrad Burns of Montana both conceded defeat, ceding effective control of
392-454: A 50% increase in troop strength was optimal, though a 25% increase would have been sufficient to capture the support of "neutral Iraqis". It also determined that due to Iraqi perceptions, the use of United Nations peacekeepers in place of US or coalition forces could achieve the same results with a smaller troop increase. These analyses were "performed and briefed to senior government decisionmakers well in advance of events." On December 6, 2006,
490-470: A Baghdad security plan". CNN reported that "Administration officials say Bush is 'not satisfied' with some of the information he has been getting and 'is asking people to get him more' information on various options in Iraq." Though originally scheduled for late 2006, the announcement on "the new way forward" was delayed to give the President "more time" to gather information. Press secretary Tony Snow said
588-550: A Democrat. The 33 seats in the United States Senate Class 1 were up for election. The Democrats gained six Senate seats by defeating Republican Senators in the states of Missouri , Montana , Ohio , Pennsylvania , Rhode Island , and Virginia . Including Bernie Sanders and Joe Lieberman , two independents who caucused with the Democrats, Democrats won a 51-to-49 majority in the Senate. Summary of
686-748: A city of that size. Two candidates in Nevada's branch of the Constitution Party , called the Independent American Party (Nevada) , were also elected to office. Jackie Berg was elected Eureka County Clerk with 54.1% of the vote, easily topping Republican and Libertarian opposition. Also, Cel Ochoa will be the new Constable in Searchlight, Nevada by virtue of winning 54.93% of the vote to defeat her Republican rival. Another Nevada Independent Party member, Bill Wilkerson,
784-486: A generation Reagan conservatives have consistently demonstrated an ability to do just that. Nowhere has this been more evident than in our response to the threats of Islamic totalitarianism and the fight with our terrorist enemies. He said: While the threats of Islamic totalitarianism at times require different tactics, we are approaching those challenges with the same resolve that allowed us to defeat communism. I am convinced that in this fight we will also prevail because
882-587: A gubernatorial or congressional election. Reasons for the Democratic Party's victory included the decline of the public image of George W. Bush , dissatisfaction of his administration's handling of both Hurricane Katrina and the War in Iraq , the beginning of the collapse of the United States housing bubble , Bush's legislative defeat regarding Social Security Privatization and immigration reform,
980-459: A large block of the electorate had voted for Democrats or for third parties specifically because of personal opposition to or dislike for Bush. The size of the segment that said it had voted specifically to support Bush was not as large. Opposition to Bush was based on a number of factors, these not limited to opposition to his Social Security privatization plan , the slow response of his administration to Hurricane Katrina , his perceived inaction in
1078-549: A majority of the state governorships and the U.S. House and Senate seats, each for the first time since 1994 , an election-year commonly known as the " Republican Revolution ." For the first time since the creation of the Republican Party in 1854, no Republican captured any House, Senate, or gubernatorial seat previously held by a Democrat. Democrats took a 233–202 advantage in the House of Representatives , and achieved
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#17327836183281176-453: A new safe haven in a free Iraq. The substance of the debate that followed the speech reflected "widespread disagreement with the Bush administration over its proposed solution, and growing skepticism that the United States made the right decision in going to war in the first place". Some issues of contention were divisions over the advisability of committing more troops versus complete withdrawal,
1274-591: A new strategy." He reiterated his intent to communicate that strategy to the nation before Christmas 2006, and said "There is no question we've got to make sure that the State Department and the Defense Department – the efforts and their recommendations are closely coordinated, so that when I do speak to the American people, they will know that I've listened to all aspects of government and that
1372-535: A new team." The President thanked the panel and told reporters "I appreciate the advice I got from those folks in the field. And that advice is ... an important component of putting together a new way forward in Iraq." The CIA 's top counterinsurgency experts conducted an assessment that found the presence of US forces was key to stability. Brett H. McGurk added that "when we have a presence we are able to help resolve local disputes before they get out of control, police illegal conduct by Iraqi forces, and ultimately help
1470-402: A number of factors and events that led to the eventual Republican defeat in 2006. It is generally agreed that the single most important issue during the 2006 election was the war in Iraq , and more specifically President Bush's handling of it and the overall public weariness over it. Public opinion polling conducted during the days just before the election and the weeks just after it showed that
1568-551: A result of the 2006 gubernatorial elections , there were 28 Democratic governors and 22 Republican governors, a reversal of the numbers held by the respective parties prior to the elections. Additionally, governorships were up for election in the U.S. territories of Guam , held by a Republican, and the U.S. Virgin Islands , where the Democratic governor was retiring. In each location, the incumbent party maintained control of
1666-719: A timely fashion." Later in the day White House spokesman Tony Snow told CNN 's Larry King that Bush was comparing recommendations "by the Iraq Study Group with pending studies by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and National Security Council ." Once the review was finished, Snow believed that the President would be able to "announce a new way forward" in Iraq by the end of the year. On December 11, 2006, Bush met with Senior State Department advisers (including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ) "on how to shape U.S. policy in Iraq as part of Bush's mission to come up with
1764-538: Is effective." He also stressed his ongoing commitment to securing Iraq, saying "If we lose our nerve, if we're not steadfast in our determination to help the Iraqi government succeed, we will be handing Iraq over to an enemy that would do us harm." When pressed for when he would announce his new way forward, he said he would not be "rushed" into a decision and was still reviewing his options. On December 14, 2006, when pressed by reporters for more information on his thinking on
1862-711: Is no longer chartered under the national party, denying the United States Constitution Party the claim of holding a higher office. Neither the Libertarian nor the Reform Parties gained any state legislative seats. Voters weighed in on various ballot initiatives. These included: Numerous other elections for local, city, and county public offices were held. An unusual local election occurred in South Dakota ; Marie Steichen
1960-684: The 110th Congress convened on January 4 some Democrats said they planned to call Defense Secretary Robert Gates before the Senate Armed Services Committee "to explain, if not try to defend, the president's plan." Prior to the speech, US Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a member of the Armed Services Committee , held a press conference with former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark and Jon Soltz , Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and together called on Bush "to listen to
2058-477: The 2006 midterm elections , the surge was considered to be extremely difficult politically. One White House staffer explained the political rationale succinctly: "If you're going to be a bear, be a grizzly." In retrospect, Hillary Clinton , Barack Obama and other critics of the surge have argued that it was successful. The phrases "New Way Forward", "The New Way Forward" and "A new way forward in Iraq" were widely used by White House Press Secretary Tony Snow and
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#17327836183282156-586: The Bethesda Naval Medical Center , "I left there more committed than ever to bringing the war to an end. I told my colleagues yesterday that the biggest ethical issue facing our country for the past three and a half years is the war in Iraq. ... When the House reconvenes on January 4, 2007, Democrats will take power and I will take the gavel knowing the responsibility we have to you and to the country. The new Democratic Congress will live up to
2254-583: The George W. Bush administration's 2007 increase in the number of U.S. military combat troops in Iraq in order to provide security to Baghdad and Al Anbar Governorate . The surge was developed under the working title " The New Way Forward " and was announced in January 2007 by Bush during a television speech. Bush ordered the deployment of more than 20,000 soldiers into Iraq (five additional brigades), and sent
2352-414: The House of Representatives , and following the election, Nancy Pelosi became the first female Speaker of the House . In the gubernatorial elections, Democrats achieved a net gain of six seats. Nationwide, Republicans failed to win any congressional or gubernatorial seat that was held by a Democrat before the election. This was also the first time since 1994 where a party did not lose a single incumbent in
2450-415: The Iraq Study Group presented their report, which recommended both external and internal approaches for achieving positive progress in Iraq. Among other approaches, the report suggested that the "United States should significantly increase the number of U.S. military personnel, including combat troops, imbedded in and supporting Iraqi Army units." However, this language is not specifically included in any of
2548-587: The Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal , the sentencing of Duke Cunningham to over eight years in prison, the indictment of then House majority leader Tom DeLay , the corruption of William J. Jefferson and Bob Ney , the misconduct of Cynthia McKinney , and the Mark Foley scandal all continued to pull down congressional popularity. In the months leading up to the election, congressional approval ratings flirted with all-time historical lows. Because congress
2646-452: The Mark Foley congressional page scandal , the Jack Abramoff scandal , and various allegations of marital infidelity and abuse, doomed certain candidates, especially incumbents in PA-10 and NY-20 , which hosted one of the most negative campaigns in the country. Virginia Senator George Allen , a potential Republican 2008 Presidential candidate, saw his chances for reelection disappear when he
2744-525: The Montana Senate , Virginia Senate , CA-11 , PA-07 , PA-10 , TX-22 , OH-18 , FL-16 and NY-20 races. Almost all of the gains made by Democrats came from large gains among independents, not Republicans. Democrats, Republicans, and independents all accounted for proportions of the electorate similar to what they did in 2004. Democrats and Republicans voted nearly as loyally for their parties in 2006 as they did in 2004, but independents exhibited
2842-809: The Oregon House of Representatives , the Minnesota House of Representatives , both houses of the Iowa General Assembly , and both houses of the New Hampshire General Court - for the first time since 1875, giving them complete legislative control over those states. The Iowa Senate was previously tied. Democrats also won majorities in the Wisconsin Senate , the Michigan House of Representatives ,
2940-685: The Pennsylvania House of Representatives , and the Indiana House of Representatives , turning those legislatures into split bodies. Additionally, a Democratic-led coalition was created in the Alaska Senate , which was previously a Republican majority. Democrats won a majority of state legislative chambers for the first time since 1995. Conversely, Republicans gained control of the Montana House of Representatives with
3038-408: The post-war occupation was losing support from the American public. A November 2003 Gallup poll showed that Bush's job approval rating had fallen to 50% from a high of 71% at the outset of the war. The next year, Bush won reelection over Democratic nominee Senator John Kerry with less than 51% of the popular vote and 286 electoral votes (only 16 votes ahead of the 270 votes needed), marking
Iraq War troop surge of 2007 - Misplaced Pages Continue
3136-508: The 'winnability' of the Iraq War regardless of a surge, and framing of the issue. The New York Times reported that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani backed Bush on the troop increase. McCain did the same, saying on January 12 that "The presence of additional coalition forces would allow the Iraqi government to do what it cannot accomplish today on its own: impose its rule throughout
3234-637: The 2006 elections. In the Maine House of Representatives , Green State Representative John Eder was narrowly defeated by Democratic rival Jon Hinck in a bitterly contested campaign over Portland's 118th District. Eder's loss deprived the U.S. Green movement's highest elected position in any state office. In the Vermont House of Representatives , the Vermont Progressive Party successfully maintained its six seats within
3332-522: The American people understand the need to win. We must continue to lead the fight against Islamic totalitarianism and sustain the will to win the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. ... [On the war and on domestic issues] Our plan must avoid the mistakes of the past several years. ... I am confident that we will successfully move forward. In January 2005, the National Defense University applied its "Senturion" predictive analysis software to
3430-636: The Congress had a smaller than average list of major accomplishments (considering that the Party in charge of both the House and Senate also had control of the White House) and was not in session for a larger than average number of days. This allowed Democrats and others to characterize it as a "Do-Nothing" Congress and blame the Republican leadership for the lack of progress. The Democratic Party won
3528-504: The Conservative Agenda" on November 9, 2006, to analyze "setbacks" from the election results. Blunt bemoaned the fact Republicans had "become the defenders rather than the challengers of business as usual." Blunt opened his speech listing the oft voiced explanations of his party's defeat which included that the results were in part "a referendum on the war in Iraq". He dismissed the notion that any one single reason explained
3626-943: The House Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota) became the first Muslim ever elected to the U.S. Congress and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Hank Johnson (D-Georgia) became the first Buddhists in a United States governing body. Of the 50 United States governors , 36 were up for election. Twenty two of those contested seats were held by Republicans, and the remaining 14 were held by Democrats. Of the 36 state governorships up for election, ten were open due to retirement, term limits, or primary loss. Democrats won open Republican-held seats in New York, Massachusetts, Ohio, Arkansas and Colorado, in addition to defeating incumbent Bob Ehrlich in Maryland and holding their sole open seat in Iowa. As
3724-409: The Iraqi army as pivotal to achieving some degree of stability." They pressed for "greater U.S. effort on economic reconstruction and political reconciliation." They stressed the need for "employment programs, reconstruction and political reconciliation ... [as] key to pulling young men from the burgeoning militias." They said there was "no purely military solution for Iraq" and "without major progress on
3822-596: The Iraqi army." These options were laid out by the outgoing US ground commander, Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli . Under the Chiarelli plan "the military would shift about half of its 15 combat brigades away from battling insurgents and sectarian violence and into training Iraqi security forces as soon as the spring of 2007. ... About 4,000 U.S. troops are now serving on 11-person military training teams embedded with Iraqi forces. The new plan would add 30 troops to each team, allowing them to provide supervision and mentoring down to
3920-454: The Iraqi elections in order to determine which factions would support the elections, which would oppose them, and which would remain neutral. Senturion's forecasts were largely borne out by the actual course of events. Among other things, Senturion predicted that "increased coalition military strength in Iraq would have improved the attitudes of Iraqi stake holders toward the election by making them feel more secure." The simulations indicated that
4018-518: The Iraqis develop their own patterns of interaction." On December 13, 2006, Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney met with the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for "more than an hour," discussing different military options for Iraq. While "no dramatic proposals" were put forward, "a pragmatic assessment of what can and cannot be done by the military" was offered. They did "not favor adding significant numbers of troops to Iraq" but saw "strengthening
Iraq War troop surge of 2007 - Misplaced Pages Continue
4116-567: The Mahdi army, may instigate more interference by Iran. General George William Casey Jr. , the top US commander in Iraq, was reported to be "reviewing a plan to redefine the American military mission there: U.S. troops would be pulled out of Iraqi cities and consolidated at a handful of U.S. bases while day-to-day combat duty would be turned over to the Iraqi army." It was said that he was "still considering whether to request more troops, possibly as part of an expanded training mission to help strengthen
4214-622: The November 7, 2006, United States Senate election results Sources: All 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election. The Democrats won the national popular vote by a margin of eight percentage points and gained thirty-one seats from the Republicans. The election made Nancy Pelosi (D-California) the first-ever female, first-ever Italian-American, and first-ever Californian Speaker of
4312-636: The Republican-controlled Congress's unprecedented and unpopular involvement in the Terri Schiavo case , and a series of scandals in 2006 involving Republican politicians . In March 2003, President George W. Bush ordered an invasion of Iraq , a state which the Bush administration claimed was linked to the September 11 attacks in 2001, and claimed was producing weapons of mass destruction . In May, just two months after
4410-511: The Senate prior to the election. Ultimately, Republicans were down 81 seats in the House and five in the Senate, giving control of the General Court to the Democrats. This coincided with the landslide reelection of Democratic Governor John Lynch , the takeover of both of New Hampshire's U.S. House seats by Democrats, and New Hampshire's unique Executive Council gaining a Democratic majority. Third parties received largely mixed results in
4508-416: The Senate to the Democrats. The election made Nancy Pelosi (D-California) the first-ever female, first-ever Italian-American, and first-ever Californian Speaker of the House and Harry Reid (D-Nevada) the first Mormon Senate Majority Leader . Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota) became the first Muslim ever elected to the U.S. Congress and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Hank Johnson (D-Georgia) became
4606-411: The U.S. military "to help Iraqis clear and secure neighborhoods, to help them protect the local population, and to help ensure that the Iraqi forces left behind are capable of providing the security". The President stated that the surge would then provide the time and conditions conducive to reconciliation between communities. Initiated against strong domestic opposition and after the Republican defeat in
4704-600: The US Congress as "punishing President George W. Bush and his Republicans over ethics scandals in Washington and a failing war in Iraq." After her party's victory then House Speaker-elect Pelosi (who would a month later make clear her disdain for the "surge proposal") wrote an article entitled "Bringing the War to an End is my Highest Priority as Speaker". The article explained that after visiting wounded Iraq War veterans at
4802-452: The administration was hoping for the president to deliver the speech before Christmas, although he said the timing was not nailed down. This American Enterprise Institute surge study referenced is listed as having been posted December 14, and was called the "real Iraq Study Group report" by its author. The draft was presented on December 14 by Frederick Kagan , AEI, General Jack Keane , and Kenneth Pollack . AEI released its final report to
4900-517: The advice of his generals and the American people and offer a new plan to change course in Iraq." In a nationally televised address on January 10, Bush stated "America will change our strategy to help the Iraqis carry out their campaign to put down sectarian violence and bring security to the people of Baghdad. This will require increasing American force levels. So I've committed more than 20,000 additional American troops to Iraq. The vast majority of them – five brigades – will be deployed to Baghdad". On
4998-618: The chamber. The Vermont Progressive Party has in recent years become one of the most consistently successful third parties in the U.S. to be elected to higher office. In Illinois, seemingly out of dissatisfaction with both the candidacies of Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich and Republican candidate Judy Baar Topinka resulted in 10% of the electorate voting for the Green Party candidate Rich Whitney, an accomplishment, by all means, considering Whitney did not campaign on television or radio. In Montana, Rick Jore made history by becoming
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#17327836183285096-460: The changing of the military guard and moving ahead with the 'surge' option, President Bush's Iraq strategy involves more money for reconstruction, job creation, and for 'moderate Iraqi political parties as a means of building a centrist political coalition to support Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki,' according to The Wall Street Journal . This more holistic approach – reportedly entitled 'The New Way Forward' – echoes in many ways," an AEI paper. Bush
5194-545: The congress had accomplished less than normal. This too, took a toll on Republicans (as the leaders of the government). The listed scandals were all dwarfed by the highly publicised Mark Foley scandal , which broke in late September and rapidly metastasized to include the House Republican leadership. Florida Representative Mark Foley , who ironically headed the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children ,
5292-577: The country." Immediately following Bush's January 10 speech announcing the plan, Democratic politicians, including Ted Kennedy , Harry Reid and Dennis Kucinich , called on Congress to reject the surge. Senator Dick Durbin issued the Democratic response which called upon Iraqis to "disband the militias and death squads." On January 18, Xinhua News Agency reported that "whitehouse hopefuls" Sens. Hillary Clinton , D-N.Y., Barack Obama , D-Ill., Chris Dodd , D-Conn., Joe Biden , D-Del, and Sam Brownback , R-Kansas, all voiced their discontent January 13 with
5390-533: The course of events in Iraq. On January 17, Moveon.org released an ad that identified the surge strategy as " McCain 's idea". The New York Times reported that presidential candidate John Edwards had "taken to referring to the administration proposal as 'the McCain Doctrine.'" On January 18, the Los Angeles Times released a Bloomberg poll that said 60 percent of those polled opposed
5488-400: The election as a referendum on the war was endorsed by Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi who in the final days of the campaign said, "This election is about Iraq. If indeed it turns out the way that people expect it to turn out, the American people will have spoken, and they will have rejected the course of action the president is on." The news media viewed the Democratic victory in both houses of
5586-416: The election, a departure from previous midterm elections, which tended to be about local, district-centric issues. The effect of this was a general nationwide advantage for Democrats, who were not seen as being as tied to the war as Republicans, led by George Bush, were. President Bush himself, seen as the leader and face of the Republican party, was a large factor in the 2006 election. Exit polls showed that
5684-402: The erosion of the U.S. military's ability to deal with other crises around the world because of the heavy commitment in Iraq and the stress on troops and equipment". They told Bush that there was "significantly increased risk to readiness in the event of a new emergency". Speaking to reporters afterward Bush said "Our military cannot do this job alone. Our military needs a political strategy that
5782-472: The face of and association with rising gas prices , and as mentioned above, his continued commitment to the war. Congressional approval, which had been slightly negative since before the 2004 election, began a steady drop beginning in March 2005. Congress's unprecedented and unpopular involvement in the Terri Schiavo controversy is often pointed to as the catalyst for this drop. Congressional scandals, such as
5880-406: The first Buddhists in a United States governing body. Although seven states banned recognition of same-sex marriage , Arizona became the first state to reject such a ballot initiative. South Dakota rejected a ban on abortion under almost any circumstances, intended to overturn federal constitutional abortion-rights nationwide by setting up a strong test case that proponents hoped would lead to
5978-490: The first candidate of the right-wing Constitution Party to be elected to a state legislature, elected to the 12th District in the Montana House of Representatives . Jore initially won in 2004 by three votes, only to see the courts throw out enough ballots to give the Democrats the victory. In the 2006 elections, Jore won convincingly, garnering 56.2% of the vote. However, the Montana Constitution Party
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#17327836183286076-671: The governorship. Nearly all state legislatures were up for election. Prior to the general elections, with the exception of the nonpartisan Nebraska Legislature , 21 legislatures were controlled by Republicans, 19 by Democrats, and 9 were split legislatures (where each house is controlled by a different party). As a result of the 2006 elections, 23 legislatures were carried by Democrats, 16 by Republicans, and 10 legislatures were split. In all, Republicans lost, and Democrats gained more than 300 state legislative seats. Democrats flipped ten legislative chambers, while Republicans gained control of one. In total, Democrats gained or retained control of
6174-409: The highest ethical standard... [we] are prepared to lead and ready to govern. We will honor the trust of the American people; we will not disappoint." Following the 2006 United States midterm elections in which Republicans lost control of the House and Senate, The Heritage Foundation hosted a conference chaired by Republican whip Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO), titled, "The New Way Forward: Refocusing
6272-400: The initial invasion, Bush announced the end of major combat operations in Iraq . In the following months, insurgents began resisting the American occupation. Additionally, religious tensions between majority Shiite and minority Sunni Muslims , tensions which had been suppressed under the grip of Saddam's regime, resulted in violence. By the end of 2003, despite the war's initial popularity,
6370-581: The job is done. Ideas such as not helping this (Iraqi) government take the necessary and hard steps to be able to do its job." He said he wanted the incoming Defense Secretary Robert Gates "to have time to evaluate the situation" and come up with his own suggestions. That same day Iraqi President Jalal Talabani issued a written statement saying that he had received Bush's assurances that "he would make no decisions on his new Iraq strategy that would be 'against your interests' ... [and his pledge] to work with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on his efforts to implement
6468-584: The lead, our forces will help secure the city by chasing down the terrorists, insurgents, and the roaming death squads. And in Anbar Province, where al Qaeda terrorists have gathered and local forces have begun showing a willingness to fight them, we're sending an additional 4,000 United States Marines, with orders to find the terrorists and clear them out. (Applause.) We didn't drive al Qaeda out of their safe haven in Afghanistan only to let them set up
6566-689: The level of Iraqi army companies. ... the remaining seven to eight brigades of U.S. combat forces would focus on three core missions: striking al-Qaeda, strengthening security along Iraq's borders, and protecting major highways and other routes to ensure U.S. forces freedom of movement in Iraq. ... The plan would not allow for any major reduction in U.S. troops in Iraq over the next year – nor would it call for any surge in troops". Military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said that "In northern and western Iraq, U.S. commanders are already moving troops out of combat missions to place them as advisers with lower-level Iraqi army units." The Chiefs expressed "concern about
6664-496: The lone Constitution Party representative voting for Republican control of that body. Democrats won a veto-proof supermajority in both houses of the Connecticut General Assembly , with Democrats holding a commanding 131–56 majority. The most dramatic change in party control occurred with the New Hampshire General Court , where Republicans held a 92-seat majority in the House and an eight-seat majority in
6762-408: The loss, saying "Different candidates lost for different reasons." He saw a bright side in events saying: The good news is that even with these shortcomings, low presidential approval numbers, and uncertainty about Iraq, our candidates saw, even with all those things happening, their ideas taking hold in the final days of their campaigns. A shift of 78,000 votes in the entire country would have changed
6860-557: The majority of them into Baghdad . He also extended the tour of most of the Army troops in country and some of the Marines already in Anbar. The President described the overall objective as establishing a "unified, democratic federal Iraq that can govern itself, defend itself, and sustain itself, and is an ally in the War on Terror." The major element of the strategy was a change in focus for
6958-433: The matter Bush said "I am listening to a lot of advice to develop a strategy to help you succeed, a lot of consultations. I will be delivering my plans after a long deliberation, after steady deliberation. I'm not going to be rushed into making a decision." He stated that he had heard some "interesting" ideas. He also said he heard some "ideas that would lead to defeat ... [and] I reject those ideas. Ideas such as leaving before
7056-553: The middle of Republican President George W. Bush 's second term. In a political revolution that broke twelve years of Republican rule, the Democratic Party was swept into majorities in both chambers of Congress and governorships. These elections were widely categorized as a Democratic wave . In the Senate , Democrats won a net gain of six seats to secure a narrow majority in that chamber. Democrats also gained 31 seats in
7154-542: The news media prior to the President's speech on January 10, 2007, announcing the policy change. The US press also refers to the increase as a "surge" or "Iraq troop surge". Following the speech, some Democrats began using the term " escalation " rather than "surge", though others in the party used the terms interchangeably. Polls showed that after the 2006 general election , "A substantial majority of Americans expect Democrats to reduce or end American military involvement in Iraq if they [won] control of Congress". This view of
7252-509: The outcome. Our ideas didn't get beat; in fact, we did. He applauded the Constitutional system saying the defeat proves: that no one party has a permanent claim to power. ... This means any viable political movement, such as ours, can never afford to become stagnant or complacent. We must constantly refresh our ideas, assess our performance, and make corrections when necessary. This is a great moment to do all three of those things. For
7350-856: The overruling of Roe v. Wade . This result would eventually happen in 2022, with a Mississippi state law that imposed a 15-week ban on abortion leading to the case Dobbs v. Jackson , which then led to Roe's overturning. Some of the Republican House and Senate seats lost by the Republicans belonged to members of the Republican Revolution of 1994. Senators Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Mike DeWine of Ohio, and Representatives Charlie Bass of New Hampshire, John Hostettler of Indiana, Gil Gutknecht of Minnesota, and J. D. Hayworth of Arizona all won previously Democratic seats in 1994 elections and were defeated in 2006. Representative Sue Kelly of New York, also first elected in 1994,
7448-463: The political and economic fronts, the U.S. intervention is simply buying time." They also urged "that any new strategy be sensitive to regional context, particularly the impact of political or military decisions." They fear that throwing too much support to the Shiite majority may lead Sunni nations in the region to step up support of Sunni insurgents, and that a crackdown on Iraq's largest Shiite militia,
7546-647: The president had this to say on the troop increase in Iraq, outlining its purpose in supporting the Iraqi government's maintenance of control: In order to make progress toward this goal, the Iraqi government must stop the sectarian violence in its capital. But the Iraqis are not yet ready to do this on their own. So we're deploying reinforcements of more than 20,000 additional soldiers and Marines to Iraq. The vast majority will go to Baghdad, where they will help Iraqi forces to clear and secure neighborhoods , and serve as advisers embedded in Iraqi Army units. With Iraqis in
7644-519: The press on January 5, 2007, under the title "Iraq: A Turning Point (With Reports from Iraq from Senators John McCain and Joseph Lieberman )". The event description stated the following: The study calls for a large and sustained surge of U.S. forces to secure and protect critical areas of Baghdad. Mr. Kagan directed the report in consultation with military and regional experts, including General Keane, former Afghanistan coalition commander Lieutenant General David Barno , and other officers involved with
7742-606: The recommendations of the Iraq Study Group. The Post went on to say "The group disagreed on the key issue of whether to send more troops to Iraq, with retired Gen. John M. Keane arguing that several thousand additional soldiers could be used to improve security in Baghdad , and others expressing doubt about that proposal." The group also suggested Bush change personnel in his national security team. One panel member reported that "All of us said they have failed, that you need
7840-429: The report's 79 recommendations. The ISG report mentioned a possible 10,000-20,000 troop increase for training but only until early 2008. Co-chairman James Baker said that since "events in Iraq could overtake what we recommend...[members] believe that decisions should be made by our national leaders with some urgency." Upon receiving the report Bush told the group "we will take every proposal seriously, and we will act in
7938-585: The same day of the speech, ABC News announced that ninety advance troops from the 82nd Airborne Division had already arrived in Baghdad. In advance of the State of the Union address, Bush gave several promotional speeches to Belo television and Sinclair television , suggesting that the surge "should be given a chance" and challenged critical lawmakers to offer an alternative. On the night of Tuesday, January 23,
8036-428: The security situation there. "One thing is for certain, I will want to make sure that the mission is clear and specific and can be accomplished," Bush said on Thursday when asked about a troop increase." In fact, Bush's proposed increase was 21,000 US troops, 4000 of which would be Marine Corps focused on Al Anbar Governorate while the others would be embedded into Iraqi units to provide security to Baghdad. Just before
8134-509: The smallest winning margin for an incumbent president since Woodrow Wilson in the 1916 election . However, it was the first time since 1988 that a winner garnered a popular majority. Terrorism and the war in Iraq dominated the election, with domestic issues taking a secondary role. Bush began his second term with a continuation of the occupation and a push to overhaul Social Security with his privatization plan. Both policies proved unpopular, and violence in Iraq continued to increase. Compounding
8232-769: The state legislatures and governorships of 15 states, thus creating a unified government in Arkansas , Colorado , Illinois , Iowa , Louisiana , Maine , Maryland , Massachusetts , New Hampshire , New Jersey , New Mexico , North Carolina , Oregon , Washington and West Virginia , although the governorship of Louisiana reverted to the Republicans with the October 2007 election of Bobby Jindal . Republicans now control ten state governments, these being, Florida , Georgia , Idaho , Missouri , North Dakota , South Carolina , South Dakota , Texas and Utah . Democrats flipped ten legislative chambers. Democrats gained control of
8330-574: The successful operations of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Tal Afar . An interim version of the report was released on December 14, 2006. At this event, Mr. Kagan and General Keane will present their final report, which outlines how the United States can win in Iraq and why victory is the only acceptable outcome. Andrew Ross of the San Francisco Chronicle also connected Bush's strategy to this AEI report, writing "In addition to
8428-518: The time and after the fact) cited the scandal as an event that sealed the fate of the Republican congress. After the election, top Republican strategist Karl Rove specifically named the Foley scandal as the cause of the Republicans' loss of congress. The result was that on election day, many congressional seats had been touched by Republican scandals and were easier to pick up for Democrats than under normal conditions. These include but are not limited to
8526-487: The troop surge, 51 percent wanted Congress to try to block Bush from sending more soldiers, and 65 percent disapproved of the president's handling of the war. Meanwhile, a Fox News Poll reported that 59 percent to 36 percent, Americans opposed sending more US troops to Iraq. On January 16, Nebraska Republican Chuck Hagel , Delaware Democrat Joe Biden ( Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair), and Michigan Democrat Carl Levin ( Armed Services Committee chair) co-sponsored
8624-472: The unpopularity of the war was the fact that no weapons of mass destruction were found. August 2005 was the last time any major public opinion poll recorded majority approval of Bush's job. Negative perceptions of Bush, following the slow governmental response to Hurricane Katrina , further weighed on his popularity. Simultaneously, the popularity of the Republican-controlled 109th Congress
8722-420: The war in Iraq was considered the most important election issue by the largest segment of the public. Exit polling showed that relatively large majorities of voters both fell into the category of disapproving of the war or expressing the desire to withdraw troops in some type of capacity. Both brackets broke extremely heavily for Democrats. The issue of the war seemed to play a large part in the nationalization of
8820-498: The way forward is the way forward to achieve our objective: to succeed in Iraq." Later on December 11, 2006, Bush met "with a group of Iraqi experts, including historians and former generals, in the Oval Office ." The Washington Post reported that among the panel of experts were retired four-star generals Barry McCaffrey , Wayne A. Downing , and John Keane ; along with academics Stephen Biddle and Eliot Cohen , who panned
8918-602: Was also on the decline. A series of notable congressional scandals also took place in Washington, D.C., including the ongoing Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal , as well as the Mark Foley scandal and the Cunningham scandal , both in October 2006. Throughout 2006, sectarian violence persisted in Baghdad and other areas of Iraq; many claimed that the conflict was evolving into a civil war . President Bush's job approval rarely rose above 40%. Perceptions of Congress and Republicans in general, remained highly negative. Additionally,
9016-414: Was caught on video using a racial slur to describe a young Indian-American who worked for his opponent's campaign. Republicans won control of Congress for the first time since the 1994 election , which is commonly known as the " Republican Revolution ." For the first time since the creation of the Republican party in 1854, no Republican captured any House, Senate, or Gubernatorial seat previously held by
9114-512: Was controlled by Republicans, this high disapproval affected Republicans much more negatively than it did Democrats. Democrats were successful in portraying the congress as a lazy, greedy, egotistical and inefficient "Do-Nothing Congress.", which they contrasted with their " New Direction for America " campaign. Indeed, the congress had been in session much less than previous ones had (including those under Republican control), and numerous public opinion polls showed that large majorities believed that
9212-463: Was defeated as well. The Democrats also won back the Kansas 2nd and Ohio 18th, both of which they had lost in 1994. In the 2006 elections, the Democratic Party also claimed a majority of state governorships, gaining control of Republican-held governorships in New York, Massachusetts, Colorado, Arkansas, Maryland, and Ohio, giving the party a 28–22 advantage in governorships. Various scandals, including
9310-485: Was elected to Jerauld County Commissioner, despite the fact that she died two months before the election. Her name was never replaced on the ballot, and voters who chose her were aware of her death. In Richmond, California , a city of more than 100,000 residents, the Green Party challenger, City Councilperson Gayle McLaughlin , unseated Democratic incumbent Irma Anderson and became the first Green Party Mayor of
9408-592: Was elected to the Elko, Nevada , School Board, in a non-partisan race. In Missoula County, Montana , residents passed a measure to encourage the County Sheriff's Department to make marijuana enforcement a last priority. In Dallas County, Texas , Democrats regained control in 41 out of 42 contested GOP judgeships, as well as the district attorney's office and the county judge's seat. Beginning just after George W. Bush's reelection , political analysts point to
9506-460: Was expected to announce a "surge" in forces that some sources say could be up to 20,000 troops. According to Reuters, "While Bush is to announce a complete overhaul of his Iraq policy, including economic and political components, the possibility of a troop increase has gained the most attention. Despite a divide on the issue, Bush in recent days has hinted toward a preference for increasing troop strength by saying he wanted to help Iraqis gain control of
9604-464: Was found to have been making sexually lewd and highly inappropriate contacts online with male congressional pages, and it was soon found that members of the Republican leadership knew in some capacity of Foley's advances, yet took little action. The scandal allowed Democrats to adopt corruption as a campaign issue, and exit polls on election day showed that corruption remained an important issue, one that Democrats held an advantage on. In addition, many (at
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