Voinovich Defects from Bush on Iraq

A day after Sen Richard Lugar (R-IN) said it's time to get out of Iraq, another top Republican Senator joined the call. Sen George Voinovich (R-OH) fired off a letter to President Bush saying it's time to let the Iraqis stand up.

"We must not abandon our mission, but we must begin a transition where the Iraqi government and its neighbors play a larger role in stabilizing Iraq," Sen George Voinovich (R-OH) in a letter to President Bush

Moderate Republicans have already joined Democrats in calling for a troop draw down. But with prominent conservative Senators now joining the call -- there's a better chance war opponents will get the 60 votes they need to pass bills demanding the President redeploy troops from Iraq.

With anti-war amendments coming up for votes in July -- the latest GOP defections suggest President Bush may be tested before he presents the results of his troop "surge" in September. (Chicago Tribune)