House GOP holds centrist listening session

It can be lonely as a centrist in the highly partisan House of Representatives. But as the Iraq debate has become increasingly polarized, House leaders have turned their undivided attention to their party’s black sheep — who could hold the balance of power over congressional action on the war.

On Monday night, a week after Gen. David Petraeus’s report, Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Deputy Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) held a listening session with a group of centrist GOP lawmakers who have expressed concern over the continued political deterioration in Iraq.

{mosads}Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.), who attended the meeting, described “quite a bit of movement in the middle.” He added: “Every vote we take on the war is extremely polarizing.”

The meeting is part of a series of regular get-togethers that Blunt has held this session in an effort to let war skeptics communicate the information they were receiving in their districts. Lawmakers at the meeting were quick to say that neither Blunt nor Cantor attempted to whip them for future votes. Blunt has also maintained that members have not been whipped on war-related votes.

According to Blunt, some members are indeed worried about political pressure from the right in their state, but they are more concerned about handling outside left-wing groups that travel to their districts for the purpose of protest.
The two Republicans are not the only leaders with their ear to the center.

In an attempt to quell some of the continued partisan rancor, Castle and Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.) have been collecting signatures of like-minded lawmakers on a bipartisan agreement based on the Iraq Study Group’s recommendations. Castle declined to give specifics, saying that the deal’s language and the group’s membership have not been finalized.

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) has said he will meet with the bipartisan centrist bloc, although a meeting has not yet been scheduled.

When asked by a reporter on Tuesday why willing Republican moderates have not seen action on the offer, Hoyer said scheduling was to blame.

“Mr. Tanner asked would I be willing to meet. We tried to arrange a meeting before everyone left on Tuesday. It didn’t work out,” said Hoyer. “I’m hopeful that it will happen. It’s Mr. Tanner’s intent to set up a meeting. I’m looking forward to it.”

Tanner and Castle were the lead signatures on a Sept. 4 letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) urging them to come together on a post-surge plan.

Castle said he has attended many meeting with members about the war recently, including a dinner Monday with Reps. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) and Wayne Gilchrest (R-Md.), to gauge where centrists are moving as more information becomes more available.

Tanner said that members spoke at that Monday gathering about ways to get an Iraq bill he has co-sponsored with Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) to the floor, and see who else on both sides of the aisle might be willing to lend their support.

He said they are continuing to discuss meeting with Hoyer and Boehner, but it was not an immediate priority
“Right now, we’re trying to figure out the best way to move forward,” Tanner said.

One attendee of the Blunt group, Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), said members discussed some of the positive things to come out of the Petraeus report and how the fallout from a controversial MoveOn.org ad last week may have given Republicans a bounce.

 Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who also attended the Blunt meeting, said the Petraeus report did little to change the minds of those who already had formed an opinion on the surge and the war in general.

“People want to win, but they are very frustrated and tired,” Capito said when asked what she had heard from her constituents. “The Petraeus report gave some people in the middle ground [insight] … and that’s a good thing.”

Other members who attended the meeting were Reps. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.), Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Ric Keller (R-Fla.) and Tom Petri (R-Wis.).