Attacks begun

As soon as the Iraq Study Group's report was released, the extreme right wing of the Republican Party began attacks on its members. Rush Limbaugh called them the "Iraq surrender group." Sean Hannity, calling for a complete victory at any cost, began his smear campaign by vilifying the group for not once using the word victory in its report. The group used the word "success" instead. Other neoconservatives used words just short of calling members of the group traitors. The Iraq Study Group is a bipartisan commission of good Americans, Republicans and Democrats, who are not extremists with a political agenda to sell, a legacy to define or an ax to grind. They are respected public servants commissioned to produce a plan to help extract us from the mess we have created in Iraq. The irony of all this is President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, addressing the American people, saying "Iraq is in need of moderate, reasonable people to help bring the country together, control the security situation and provide a fair economic and political arrangement instead of the extremists or radicals that are tearing the country apart." You would think Bush would use the same approach in his plans for a new strategy in dealing with Iraq. Bob Dipipi, Mount Laurel - Courier Post, January 5, 2007