The network morning shows all hyped up the recent remarks from Republican Senator Richard Lugar that the war in Iraq is not going well. ABC’s "Good Morning America" ran a brief story and noted that Republican Senator George Voinovich followed as well.
The CBS "Early Show’s" "Capitol Bob" segment focused mainly on the Lugar remarks. Host Harry Smith discovered admiration for the Indiana Senator exclaimed he is a "smart guy" and is "not fickle." Bob Schieffer forecasted "I think we’re going to begin a withdrawal," claimed the troops are in "the middle of this civil war," and editorialized "the policy as we know it is not going to work." Schieffer also claimed inside sources tell him Republicans are "not enthusiastic" about the president’s Iraq strategy.
NBC’s "Today" hyped the story the most with Anchor Matt Lauer emphasizing "his comments will mark a turning point, not only in the debate on the war, but the war itself." Lauer then interviewed Senator Lugar. In the setup story Reporter David Gregory noted Republican Senator John Warner "hailed Senator Lugar’s comments, predicting that other Republicans are likely to speak out against the president’s war policy..."
In Lauer’s Lugar interview, the NBC anchor hyped the potential of more Republican opposition inquiring: "Do you think your comments will open the floodgates now, among Republicans?" Lauer proceeded to hit Lugar from the left asserting: "You’ve [Senator Lugar] said you won’t vote in favor of [withdrawal timetables]. Why not back up you words with a vote?"
