Moderates are imploring colleagues in the US Congress to tone down the rhetoric on Iraq as debate about US President George W. Bush's war policies has become increasingly bitter and partisan.
Their pleas are likely to be ignored. The war is expected to be front and center in the upcoming congressional election year, particularly in several races where the Democratic candidates are Iraq war veterans.
Neither party has much incentive to pull its punches, with Republicans eager to paint Democratic critics of Bush's Iraq policies as soft on defense and Democrats looking to exploit his woes as polls show declining support for the war.
Nevertheless, some senior lawmakers are appealing for courteousness, saying that while debate is essential to democracy, politics and partisanship should stop at the waters' edge.
"The quality of congressional debate has an impact on events in Iraq and our prospects for success," Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in the first of several letters he plans to write to House and Senate members on the issue.
"We should continually strive to elevate our debate by studying thoughtful sources of information and embracing civility in our discourse," he said.
Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who in recent weeks has broken with most of his Democratic brethren and largely supported the president's Iraq strategy, urged discussion that goes beyond "dueling partisan press conferences."
"I hope that it goes on with a recognition that there are Republicans and Democrats on both sides, and that it should be conducted in the spirit of mutual respect and national interest," Lieberman said.
It's no surprise that moderates are acting as referees.
"They're the ones who are reaching across partisan aisles, trying to find common ground," said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, an expert on political rhetoric and campaigns.
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