Thursday, Aug. 2, 2007 | 7:30 a.m.
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WASHINGTON After a triumphant victory in the 2006 midterm elections, Democrats prepare to return home for the August recess much less popular - in large part because of the war in Iraq.
Pollsters say that Democrats' dismal approval ratings come mostly because the party has been unable to bring a swift end to the war or even substantially change its course as promised during last fall's election campaigns.
It's not for lack of trying.
During the past seven months, the House and Senate have voted more than a dozen times on war-related legislation calling for some sort of shift - from bringing the troops home to mandating that soldiers be given more rest between deployments.
Republicans, calling the votes theatrics at best and meddling at worst, have fought the proposals on the floor at nearly every turn, believing Congress should not second-guess military commanders in the field. They mocked a special Saturday vote on the war and a recent all-nighter as stunts.
When President Bush vetoed the Democratic-backed bill to set a timeline for drawing down troops, Republicans sighed that so much floor time had been wasted.
But the Democrats' strategy of constantly bringing Iraq legislation to the floor, much as was done during the Vietnam War, has chipped away at what had been monolithic support of the Bush administration's strategy, transforming a handful of Republicans into vocal opponents.
Anti-war groups that turned on Democrats for not doing enough to end the war now pin their blame on Republicans.
"Any changes that have taken place over the last year are a direct result of the actions of Congress," said Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley, who has voted with her party on nearly every Iraq issue this year. "We have a role to play - we're exerting that role now. I don't think this is theatrics, I think the American people want a debate on this issue."
But Republican Rep. Jon Porter said Congress' actions this year have been a disservice to the military and their families.
Porter, who has voted in line with Republicans on almost every Iraq measure this year, says he is disappointed that a Congress that unanimously supported Army Gen. David Petraeus as the top commander in Iraq in January has spent much of the time since interfering with his job.
"I apologize to the families for the behavior of Congress," Porter said Wednesday. "(Petraeus) asked for time and they've been beating him up since he's been there. If they were serious about the debate they would allow the decision they made to support Petraeus at least until he has the chance to do his job."
Republican Sen. John Ensign continues to characterize Congress' attempts to withdraw troops as "surrender dates" that handcuff military commanders, his spokesman, Tory Mazzola, said.
"We need to remember that al-Qaida is watching our political debates," Mazzola said.
Reports from Iraq in recent days have pointed to successes coming from the extra troops in al-Anbar province, the insurgent stronghold. Republicans have seized on the reports as evidence that the surge is working and troops should not be withdrawn. They point to an op-ed piece in The New York Times this week by two influential war critics from Washington think tanks who wrote that the progress leads them to believe the surge should continue into 2008.
"There has been a lot of progress," said Paul Lindsay, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee. "Democrats and Republicans both are coming back from Iraq with positive things to say about how things are working."
But Democrats downplayed those reports, saying much of Iraq remains deeply troubled. They also continue to question how much longer the American military can sustain its elevated presence.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, targeted earlier this year by anti-war protesters who thought he was being too weak in pushing Bush to change course, understands voters are disappointed.
Although Democrats have not been able to bring a swift end to the war, his spokesman Jon Summers said: "We've seen Republicans who are starting to shift and who are starting to come over. You get there by votes and by constituents holding their senators accountable."
As lawmakers head home for the summer break, they are likely to hear from constituents who oppose the war and want it to end.
The anti-war organization Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, an umbrella group formed after Bush announced his plan for a troop surge in January, is continuing its summer campaign targeting lawmakers whose positions it hopes to change.
Porter and Nevada Rep. Dean Heller are on their list. The group is planning town hall meetings in their districts Aug. 28 as part of its nationwide Take a Stand campaign.
The organization's deputy campaign director, Tara McGuinness, said the past seven months in Congress have brought a substantial shift. "A year ago ... I don't think people would have imagined that you would have had the House and the Senate passing legislation that sets a timetable for withdrawing troops form Iraq," McGuinness said.
Bush's veto this spring, she said, was a defining moment that "drew a bright line between the president and his Republican supporters and the Democratic members of Congress and the public."
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