This afternoon on the Senate floor, Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) blasted conservatives who have turned to “catchy political slogans” to avoid having a serious debate about Bush’s Iraq policy. Hagel argued that using such focus-group tested words like “cut and run” demean the debate and “debase the seriousness of war.” Watch it.

Full transcript below: Read more

(Our guest blogger, Brian Katulis, is the co-author of Strategic Redeployment, American Progress’ strategy for Iraq.)

Today’s Senate debate puts on full display the choice that Americans face on Iraq and national security policy.

Progressives are offering sensible policy ideas to change direction and the chance for accountability. White House allies are stuck on tired attempts to politicize national security, offering more of the same and serving as a rubber stamp for failed policies.

More than six months ago, President Bush offered up a plan for Iraq. The response from Congress? First, deafening silence. Then, Congress realized it was so unconvinced by the President’s ideas that it appointed an independent commission to look into Iraq to offer new ideas and recommendations.

No one has rallied around President Bush’s Iraq plan — in large part because a majority of Americans are don’t approve of it, and are looking for a new policy. Read more

Today, President Bush held a press conference in Vienna, Austria as part of a diplomatic visit to Europe. He was asked by a member of the press why approval for his policies, particularly on national security issues, was so low in Europe. Bush explained that Europeans didn’t take the 9/11 attacks seriously. “For Europe, September 11th was a moment. For us, it was a change of thinking.”

85 Europeans died in the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Bush added that “some people,” presumably Europeans who disagree with his policies, believe it’s “OK to condemn people to tyranny.” Watch it:

We’ve posted the transcript HERE.