Possible Primary Challenges Haunt Democrats Struggling With Iraq Policy

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Possible Primary Challenges Haunt Democrats Struggling With Iraq Policy
By CQ Staff | 9:24 AM; Sep. 20, 2007


House Democrats are peeved and Republicans are quietly delighted by warnings that anti-war groups may back primary challengers against Democrats who hesitate to directly challenge President Bush’s Iraq policy.

The threat of primary fights next year reminds congressional Democrats that as they search for a way to deal with the war, they must be mindful that part of their party’s base demands nothing less than a full legislative effort to get U.S. forces out of Iraq.

Republicans eager for any positive development regarding the 2008 elections say they can hardly believe their good fortune. Battles among Democrats would soak up campaign money and leave bad feelings that could spill over into the general elections.

Medea Benjamin, a leader of the women’s peace group Code Pink, said “There is a lot of anger’’ at Democrats who are seen as softening their war opposition, “especially in districts where people won in 2006 on an anti-war platform.”

“They deserve to be challenged,’’ she said.

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http://www.cqpolitics.com/2007/09/possible_primary_challenges_ha.html