Wash. Post , NY Times , AP reported Boehner's new timeline for Iraq Date: Tue, 08 May 2007 18:23:03 -0400

Wash. Post, NY Times, AP reported Boehner's new timeline for Iraq progress without noting his previous one

http://mediamatters.org/items/200705080013

In their May 8 reports on the Iraq war funding debate, The Washington Post, the Associated Press, and The New York Times all cited House Minority Leader John Boehner's (R-OH) May 6 statement that members of Congress will want to see results from President Bush's troop increase by September or October, without noting that, in January, Boehner set a similar timeline regarding the war's progress -- for a period of time that has already passed. On the January 23 edition of CNN Newsroom, Boehner said of Bush's troop escalation plan: "I think it will be rather clear in the next 60 to 90 days as to whether this plan is going to work," adding that "we need to have close oversight, so that we just don't look up 60 or 90 days from now and realize that this plan is not working."

In its article, headlined "September Could Be Key Deadline in War," the Post reported that "[c]ongressional leaders from both political parties are giving President Bush a matter of months to prove that the Iraq war effort has turned a corner, with September looking increasingly like a decisive deadline." The article later quoted Boehner:

House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), who has taken a hard line in Bush's favor, said Sunday, "By the time we get to September, October, members are going to want to know how well this is working, and if it isn't, what's Plan B."

The AP article reporting on the "GOP's limited patience on the war" included the same statement from Boehner:

White House officials have sought to play down the expectations of the September review as merely a progress report, but many Republicans have latched onto the date as a critical juncture. War funding for this fiscal year, while still under negotiation, is expected to run out Sept. 30.

"Obviously, his (Petraeus') response or developments will make a difference in the next fiscal year,'' said [Sen. Trent] Lott [R-MS].

Lott said he generally agreed with Boehner, who told "Fox News Sunday'' that, "By the time we get to September or October, members are going to want to know how well this is working, and if it isn't, what's Plan B.''

In its article, the Times reported that "House Democrats may push ahead this week with a new war spending bill that would provide money for combat operations through midsummer, with the rest of the funds sought by President Bush withheld until commanders in Iraq provide a report on conditions there." The article later noted that congressional "Republicans were putting new emphasis on the need for the White House and Iraqi leaders to begin showing some results by September" and then mentioned Boehner's recent progress timeline for the war:

Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, the House minority leader, suggested Sunday that autumn would be the time when the Republicans might have to make critical decisions, and others followed suit Monday.

However, none of the three noted Boehner's similar assertion in January regarding the war's progress, as blogger Atrios (Media Matters for America senior fellow Duncan Black) noted on his weblog Eschaton. On the January 23 Newsroom, CNN congressional correspondent Andrea Koppel asked Boehner: "How long can you and your membership give the president and give the Iraqi military, before you say, 'You know what? You're not doing your job'?" Boehner replied:

BOEHNER: I think it will be rather clear in the next 60 to 90 days as to whether this plan is going to work. And, again, that's why we need to have close oversight, so that we just don't look up 60 or 90 days from now and realize that this plan is not working. We need to know, as we're -- we move through these benchmarks, that the Iraqis are doing what they have to do.

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