Can Bush Negotiate?

Nicholas Johnston and Edwin Chen write for Bloomberg: "'There are a number of Republicans who do think that some kind of benchmarks, properly crafted, would actually be helpful,' said Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, his party's leader in the chamber. . . .

"Democrats, and some Republicans such as Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine, insist that there be penalties for falling short, such as a loss of U.S. financial support or the withdrawal of some coalition forces.

"'We can't be there in an open-ended fashion,' Snowe said. 'We have to say: how long does it really take to pass the benchmarks?'

"White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said the Iraqis already have benchmarks to meet. The administration won't accept 'anything that jeopardizes the government of Iraq or weakens the ability of our forces to succeed,' Snow said."

David Rogers writes in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required): "President Bush can rely on strong Republican support in his veto of an Iraq-war funding bill, but the strain of the war risks creating splits in his party and producing major defections by this fall.

"Republican moderates, such as former Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner of Virginia, are already demanding a greater voice in the second round of talks on war funding. Rep. Ray LaHood (R., Ill.), who has been loyal to the president, said he and other Republican lawmakers will have to reassess their support if military commander Gen. David Petraeus and the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki don't show more progress by September.

"'Republicans are going to give Bush an opportunity, but if it isn't working in September, a lot of members will be very nervous,' Mr. LaHood said. 'I think the big benchmark is September.'"

Matthew Hay Brown and David Nitkin write in the Baltimore Sun: "Analysts say the sides now are likely to move beyond the standoff over Iraq.

"'I think there will be a compromise, and they'll pass a bill,' said Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report. 'The president will say he won, because he avoided timelines. The Democrats will say, 'Look, we're trying to push the president to change his position; he's intransigent; he won't.'"

Underestimating Cheney's Influence

Of course Democratic negotiators might have something to learn from Geoff Hoon, who was defense secretary in Prime Minister Tony Blair's government from 1999 until 2005.

Patrick Wintour writes in the Guardian: "A catalogue of errors over planning for Iraq after the invasion, and an inability to influence key figures in the US administration, led to anarchy in Iraq from which the country has not recovered, the British defence secretary during the invasion admits today.

"In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Geoff Hoon reveals that Britain disagreed with the US administration over two key decisions in May 2003, two months after the invasion - to disband Iraq's army and 'de-Ba'athify' its civil service. Mr Hoon also said he and other senior ministers completely underestimated the role and influence of the vice-president, Dick Cheney.