Conservative US papers yesterday on Monday condemned what they described as "appeasement" the day after the New York Times finally came out and called for the withdrawal of US troops.
The Washington Times, in its editorial, cautioned that the "appeasement caucus," into which it lumped Democratic and Republican members of Congress who support an early return as well as the New York Times and other media, "are poised to send another unmistakable message of weakness to the jihadists."
The Wall Street Journal, whose editorial page is among the most conservative of the mainstream US media, said Republicans calling for early withdrawal would get no credit from the electorate if they contribute to an ugly outcome in Iraq.
"Their best prospect for making Iraq less important in 2008 is military progress that allows for a reduction in US forces with honor and a more stable Iraqi government," it said.
Columnist Robert Novak, in his regular Washington Post slot, reported that National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley had been meeting Republican senators.
"Some senators were left with the impression that the White House still does not recognize the scope of the Iraq dilemma," Novak wrote.
The New York Times, in its editorial on Sunday, began without equivocation: "It is time for the United States to leave Iraq without any more delay than the Pentagon needs to organize an orderly exit."
It said it had lost patience with US President George W. Bush's promised breakthroughs.
"It is frighteningly clear Mr Bush's plan is to stay the course as long as he is president and dump the mess on his successor. What-ever his cause was, it is lost," the newspaper said.
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