MELISSA BLOCK, Host: NPR's senior news analyst Daniel Schorr was struck by one winner in particular at last night's Oscars. But the awards show didn't get politics off his mind for long.</s>DANIEL SCHORR: Actually, there are two contests in progress. Among Republicans, the issue of troops in Iraq is muted by the pressure to stand behind their president in his dark hour when best friend Tony Blair has unexpectedly announced the withdrawal of 1,600 British troops from Iraq. While the president's approval rating in a USA Today poll has sunk to 37 percent, among Republicans, 72 percent believe that he did not make a mistake in sending troops to Iraq.</s>MELISSA BLOCK, Host: This is Daniel Schorr.</s>MELISSA BLOCK, Host: Coming up on the program, how is this for stress release in the city that never sleeps: a professionally organized pillow fight. That's coming up just ahead on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
The debate in Congress over Iraq may generate headlines casting Republicans as the "war party."