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Harry Reid's "Twilight Zone": Iraq
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ShareApril 09, 2008 11:24 AM
ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports from Capitol Hill: None of what Sen. Harry Reid said this morning on the Senate floor was new exactly -- this is the guy who said just about a year ago that the war "is lost" -- but Republicans are starting to make hay about his comments this morning regarding the Petraeus/Crocker report and the war in Iraq generally.
"Yesterday's testimony before the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees afforded General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker the opportunity to address the two central questions of the war in Iraq: First -- has the troop surge brought us closer to the day when our troops can come home? Second -- is the war in Iraq making America safer? By all accounts, the answer to both questions is no," Reid said.
All accounts must not include Petraeus and Crocker, who both gave longwinded circuitous answers to Sen. John Warner yesterday morning that the war is at least, according to Petraeus, "worth it."
More on that HERE.
"We are stuck in a twilight zone in Iraq," Reid added. "When violence is up, the President says we cannot bring our troops home. When violence dips, the President says we cannot bring our troops home. It's long past time for the President to be honest with the American people: Under what circumstances could our troops come home? Under what scenario could this war end?"
It’s a rhetorical question for Reid, who accused the President of having an exit strategy "for just one man -- himself -- on January 20th, 2009."
Reid then quoted from Republicans at the hearings yesterday who expressed frustration with the Iraqi government -- "I think Osama bin Laden is sitting back right now looking at this thing and saying in effect, we're kinda bankrupting this country" and "I think people want a sense of what the end is going to look like" and "Our patience is not unlimited."
But, Reid also added that they need to back up their talk with upcoming votes on the supplemental war funding measure and other spending bills.
April 9, 2008 in Romney, Mitt | Permalink | User Comments (24)
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The reasons we decided to take action in Iraq were misguided. I felt so at the time, and voted so in the last election.
But that is totally irrelevant to the question of what to do now. Once you undertake a mission like this, you have to work with the situation you have.
The man currently entrusted with this mission has made much progress. He has been right about so much on how to make this work. Congress, and specifically Senator Reid, are obliged to listen to Gen. Patraeus, and to carefully consider his recommendations.
To undermine the general's remarks the way Sen. Reid did is at least foolish, and could well be considered treason in a different time.
How do we win this "war"? I agree that it is nearly impossible to define victory in its normal sense. But this is not a war in the normal sense. We are not at war with a country, so there is no one to "surrender". We are at "war" against "terrorism". There will probably never be an end to this "war". So I submit that the question of "winning the war" is moot. The question of when to bring the troops home depends on circumstances, just as it did in Germany, Korea, Japan, etc.
Commander Guy - I don't believe you were ever a commander. Redneck Bob - you make me ashamed to be a Texan.
Posted by: connertown | Apr 9, 2008 7:02:40 PM
Connertown friend
The guy entrusted with determining the Mission is somebody from texas. We'll call him GWB.
The Good General is to do the best he can under the circumstances. Nobody says he ain't doing his best.
But here is the Rub....the rest of us get to question the judgment of the guy in charge of the mission. We labeled this guy as GWB.
We gotta wait a while till the folk who want our votes, tell us what they wanna do or what they think we wanna hear. Then we judge.
So there you go.
Posted by: The Commander Guy | Apr 9, 2008 10:41:53 PM
Harry Reid has been in the
"Twilight Zone" regarding Iraq for
quite some time!
He told us last year that the war was
lost! It wasn't! He recognizes no
military or political gains in Iraq
since last September and their have been
significant gains in both areas!
I think he's related to Rip Van Winkle!
Posted by: reaganfan | Apr 9, 2008 11:34:27 PM
jdawg: Awesome Post! Nuff Said!
Posted by: reaganfan | Apr 10, 2008 12:26:56 AM
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