The Petraeus-Crocker Hearings
By Pejman Yousefzadeh Posted in Iraq | The Surge | War — Comments (12) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
I didn't see much of the hearings yesterday, but I imagine that this report does a good job of conveying the "Mommy, are we there yet?!?!" attitude of many of the Democratic Senators asking questions of/making statements towards General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker. There was little acknowledgment on their part that anything had improved and little acknowledgment that a year ago, no one would have expected things to improve in Iraq as much as they have. All that they focused on was our leaving the country.
To be sure, it is understandable that people want the United States to leave Iraq. War isn't fun, to put matters mildly. But General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker can hardly be blamed for not being able to tell the Senators that "we can leave by Date X." If Iraq has taught us anything, it is that conditions there make anyone involved in the predictions business look foolish in the extreme. And the General and Ambassador are too smart to get involved in the predictions business and consequently tie themselves down to statements that may no longer be operative in an ever-changing environment.
If there was any intellectual honesty about the whole thing, there would have been widespread agreement that there has been tremendous progress in Iraq over the last year. I suppose that it should come as no surprise that intellectual honesty is a scarce commodity during an election year, but the problem is that it appears to be a scarce commodity all the time. Petraeus and Crocker have gotten to where they are, of course, because they have placed a special emphasis on the need to be as intellectually honest as possible. They may not be perfect but they are better than most at the task. And that made for quite a mismatch between them and a number of the Senators at yesterday's hearings.
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I was a supporter of this war.
But my patience is just about exhausted.
I keep explaining that I don't believe in timetables.
But I do believe in setting specific achievable goals and sticking to them.
And that just never happens with Iraq.
Nobody has said what, SPECIFICALLY, must still be accomplished in Iraq so that we can declare "V-I Day" (Victory in Iraq Day) and withdraw our troops with honor and pride. They talk only about past progress, not about what the future endgame might look like.
I get the distinct impression that supporters of this war are even comfortable with the prospect of perpetual low-level war without end--our troops taking casualties on into the indefinite future. Just so long as we don't lose.
I am not.
as one vote for Obama.
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When small men cast long shadows, it is a sign that the sun is setting on the Democrat Party
Fighting for conservatism one day at a time.
Because it takes just a little more than *this* effort to make an A.
Kill the terrorists
Protect the borders
Punch the hippies -- Frank J
remember that we just finished spring break season for most schools, so he's still hung over. Give him time. Let him gear up for finals.
Fighting for conservatism one day at a time.
My impression is that they were asking where "there" is.
"We have given you a republic if you can keep it."
If only the U.S. Congress demanded of themselves, i.e. the implementation of specific legislative targets, as they have demanded of the Iraqi legislature, maybe the American people would think more highly of them. Further, it amazes me that neither General Petraeus or Ambassador Crocker require a stopover at Walter Reed to clear their heads after having to spend time with these pompous morons we call legislators.
20 ml of CH3CH2OH administered orally: either straight up, or with one of a variety of standard flavors used to ease consumption. Take with food, if possible; no particular foods are prohibited. Repeat, as necessary (administering more than two doses in a single sitting should be done with extreme caution); do not operate heavy machinery while under effects.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
Just as Emily kept her father's corpse mouldering away in the attic of her home, the democrats will not let go of the story they've been spinning ever since the first sandstorm stalled our progress on the way to Baghdad.
The sandstorm was called a "quagmire" from which we would never recover... and then we marched into Baghdad.
The Abu Garaib prison scandal was put on the front page of the NYT more times than the invasion of Normandy during WWII, even though Americans were steadily being killed while bending over backwards to do for Iraqis and not kill them unecessarily.
Every death in Iraq is laid at our feet.
The terrorists killing Iraqis were called "insurgents" fighting for their country.
The elections were bound to fail...and then they were a great success, but that was only given a few back pages.
The surge was a failure before it even began, and then it was a remarkable success (but we aren't allowed to say it).
Sadr cried for mercy in Basra, but somehow Maliki lost.
The Democrats can't admit to success because they know that reality for most Americans is the result of a construction, and the MSM has been doing the constructing. Appearance is reality, and they can't let go of the appearance of failure any more than Emily could let go of her father's corpse.
As for a "clear-cut" victory? It has been repeated over and over again what victory means and how we will know it when it is there... a stable republic not at war with itself and able to repel attacks from without.
None are as blind as those who will not see. When there is no truth, there is no duty to be truthful.
"The most dangerous form in which oppression can overshadow a community is that of popular sway" -James Fenimore Cooper
I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful 100 percent.
Dead on, Pejman. To think that these two guys have their integrity questioned, after being as clear-eyed and honest as they have always tried to be, is a disgrace.
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We would also like to know your advice for somebody like my daughter, who's going to graduate in two years, advice that you would give a young person.
SEC. RUMSFELD: Advice for a young person. Study history.