LIANE HANSEN, host:
From NPR News, this is WEEKEND EDITION. I'm Liane Hansen. Congress returns from its President's Day recess this week, and even though there are a few budgetary matters on the official agenda, there's really only one thing anyone on Capitol Hill will be talking about, the war in Iraq.
Just before the recess, the House passed a non-binding resolution opposing President Bush's troops build-up in Iraq. A similar resolution was blocked by Republicans in the Senate. This week, Senate Democrats will try a new strategy. They want to repeal the 2002 resolution authorizing President Bush to invade Iraq.
To get a handle on some constituents' opinions about what members of Congress are doing, we've asked Kate Nelson, managing editor for the Albuquerque Tribune, David Wells, editorial page editor for the Cincinnati Enquirer, and Pat Yack, editor of the Florida Times-Union to join us. Welcome to all of you.
Ms. KATE NELSON (Albuquerque Tribune): Thank you.
Mr. DAVID WELLS (Cincinnati Enquirer): Thank you.
Mr. PAT YACK (Florida Times-Union): Thank you.
HANSEN: Kate, I would really like to start with you. The results of the November election, the Democratic takeover of Congress, it was interpreted by some as a call for change, particularly in the way the war in Iraq is being conducted. The Democrats are now having their turn at shaping that war. How is all of this being viewed in New Mexico?
Ms. NELSON: I think there was definitely a call for change. It didn't produce a change. The Republican congresswoman who represents the Albuquerque area very, very narrowly hung on to her seat against, frankly, a weak candidate, and that was very clear, that people were fed up with that was going on. That drumbeat has only grown stronger in the ensuing months, and I think people here in New Mexico feel like the president isn't listening.
HANSEN: But they're following what's happening in Congress pretty closely to certainly see what their members do.
Ms. NELSON: They are, although I think the House vote on the non-binding resolution was largely seen as a waste of energy and a waste of time, for several days to be debating something that really has no effect.
HANSEN: David Wells, how much are people in Ohio paying attention to what's happening in Congress? And pick up on what Kate said. I mean do these non-binding resolutions mean anything to them?
Mr. WELLS: I don't think the non-binding resolution meant much. I mean, people are paying attention. Greater Cincinnati returned all of its incumbents to the House. We did get a new senator in Ohio, but in this particular area, Greater Cincinnati, it's very strong support still for the administration and its policies, although the incumbents have been supporting the president's position on this.
Judging from the comments, the letters, the e-mails that I get and that we get in our paper, most of them seem to think that, while they follow it and they're interested, that the non-binding resolution is kind of a waste of time.
HANSEN: So it's viewed as a lot of talk, not a lot of action.
Mr. WELLS: Yeah.
HANSEN: Pat, given that your town is a big military town, I do want to ask you about Congressman John Murtha's plan that he's been floating around, the one that would set conditions for financing the war and deployment of the troops. Is that getting any support?
Mr. YACK: You don't hear that much about it. Jacksonville, although, is a conservative area. But you don't hear a lot of people talk about getting out like what Congressman Murtha is talking about. You hear a lot of people talking about when is going to be over and what's the plan to get out.
HANSEN: Kate, what about in New Mexico?
Ms. NELSON: I haven't heard a lot of comments specifically on the Murtha plan. I am hearing a lot, though, about let's get out of there. Even one of the conservative talk radio hosts has been against the war for some time now, and that's sort of a bellwether to me that even on that program, that's the call.
HANSEN: What about the fact that the Senate might introduce a proposal this week to actually repeal the president's authorization for the invasion? How is that likely to play where you are?
Ms. NELSON: You know, I think there's a general sense of confusion. People don't want to be over there, they want it to be over, but they're not sure how to get out of it, and very concerned about what it says about us as a nation, how we handle the next steps in the war. So I think people are kind of nervous about getting behind any particular plan because they're not sure how it's going to work out.
HANSEN: David Wells, what about this idea for repealing the authorization for the invasion?
Mr. WELLS: Well, I think certainly people here understand that it's not going well, and they would welcome an end to it, which is very different than saying that they would support doing anything seen as hurting the troops.
We've had a tremendous amount of comment from young people. In fact, our paper did a project asking high school students how they're being taught about Iraq and about the war, and we were just astounded at the amount of mail and e-mails and so forth we got. And so there's a lot of desire to talk about it, and the people are certainly paying a lot of attention to it.
HANSEN: Pat Yack, do you think the public is looking for leadership on dealing with the Iraq war? I mean, if Congress fails to settle on any kind of action, where are people going to turn?
Mr. YACK: I think that's a great question. People here publicly say one thing and then say another privately. A lot of people are saying privately it's not gone well, but they just don't know what to say in terms of what they expect from the president anymore or the country. It's a bad situation, but frankly they don't know what to do. To say anything publicly about the president is to say something bad about the country and to say something bad about the country sounds defeatist in our community. And so people have a very tempered public expression of what's happening over there.
HANSEN: Kate Nelson?
Ms. NELSON: Definitely people here are looking for leadership and feeling that they're not getting it. There's a lot of hope that Congress can set things right, but a lot of apprehension as well. I think there is still support for the president, but it's clearly waning, and I haven't seen any public opinion polling but imagine if it was done today, support for the president would have dropped significantly.
HANSEN: Kate Nelson is managing editor for the Albuquerque Tribune. David Wells edits the editorial page for the Cincinnati Enquirer. And Pat Yack is the editor of the Florida Times-Union. Thank you all.
Ms. NELSON: Thank you.
Mr. WELLS: Thank you, Liane.
Mr. YACK: Thank you.
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