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Audacity of Truth
McCain and Lieberman on Iraq (MORE: MOONBATS MAKE PRESENCE KNOWN)
*Scroll for updates*
Say what you want about McCain, but he’s definitely not backing down on his stance that we need to win in Iraq. And Lieberman, of course, is still standing strong against the army of wimps in his on party who want to cut and run. Via the WSJ:
Today, Gen. David Petraeus–commander of our forces in Iraq–returns to Washington to report on the war in Iraq and the new counterinsurgency strategy he has been implementing there. We hope that opponents of the war in Congress will listen carefully to the evidence that the U.S. military is at last making real and significant progress in its offensive against al Qaeda in Iraq.
Consider how the situation has changed. A year ago, al Qaeda in Iraq controlled large swaths of the country’s territory. Today it is being driven out of its former strongholds in Anbar and Diyala provinces by the surge in U.S. forces and those of our Iraqi allies. A year ago, sectarian violence was spiraling out of control in Iraq, fanned by al Qaeda. Today civilian murders in Baghdad are down over 50%.
As facts on the ground in Iraq have improved, some critics of the war have changed their stance. As Democratic Congress man Brian Baird, who voted against the invasion of Iraq, recently wrote after returning from Baghdad: “[T]he people, strategies, and facts on the ground have changed for the better, and those changes justify changing our position on what should be done.”
[...]
Whatever the shortcomings of our friends in Iraq, they are no excuse for us to retreat from our enemies like al Qaeda and Iran, who pose a mortal threat to our vital national interests. We must understand that today in Iraq we are fighting and defeating the same terrorist network that attacked on 9/11. As al Qaeda in Iraq continues to be hunted down and rooted out, and the Iraqi Army continues to improve, the U.S. footprint will no doubt adjust. But these adjustments should be left to the discretion of Gen. Petraeus, not forced on our troops by politicians in Washington with a 6,000-mile congressional screwdriver, and, perhaps, an eye on the 2008 election.
The Bush administration clung for too long to a flawed strategy in this war, despite growing evidence of its failure. Now advocates of withdrawal risk making the exact same mistake, by refusing to re-examine their own conviction that Gen. Petraeus’s strategy cannot succeed and that the war is “lost,” despite rising evidence to the contrary.
The Bush administration finally had the courage to change course in Iraq earlier this year. After hearing from Gen. Petraeus today, we hope congressional opponents of the war will do the same.
I don’t hold out much hope that they will, because for so many of them, they know if they don’t, they’ll feel the wrath of their rabid anti-war, Bush-hating base, and we all know how most Democrats react when faced with pressure from the ‘bats. And speaking of, MoveOn.org has placed an ad in the New York Times that essentially calls Petraeus a traitor to his country. Pete Hegseth, executive director of Vets For Freedom, has the details on how MoveOn and Democrats are covertly working together to cast doubt on Petraeus report before he’s even had a chance to give it:
General Petraeus has served this country for over 35 years with honor, distinction, and integrity. And this is not just about General Petraeus. After all, if General Petraeus is “cooking the books,” then the entire military chain of command in Baghdad, and all the staff, military and civilian, who have been working with General Petraeus are complicit, since Petraeus did not write his report in isolation. They are all, apparently, ‘betray[ing] us.’
MoveOn.org has been working closely with the Democratic congressional leadership –as an article in today’s Sunday New York Times Magazine makes clear. And consider this comment by a Democratic senator from Friday’s Politico: “‘No one wants to call [Petraeus] a liar on national TV,’ noted one Democratic senator, who spoke on the condition on anonymity. ‘The expectation is that the outside groups will do this for us.’
Read more on how Dems have been trying to undermine Petraeus in advance of his report here.
Isn’t that just typical? Congressional Democrats don’t have the courage of their convictions to say that they think the General is a liar themselves, so they let their far left groups speak for them, thinking that somehow people won’t put two and two together and understand that those groups are working together to undermine the Commander in Chief and General Petraeus.
And how is the media already spinning Petraeus’ viewpoint on the surge? Take a look at these two headlines:
—- The surge must go on, Petraeus to tell Congress (The Guardian)
—- Petraeus says US surge has ‘not worked out’ (Africa’s Mail & Guardian)
And, of course, blogosphere is abuzz with discussion about Petraeus upcoming report today before House and Senate committees. I’ll try to post a transcript and/or video snippets, as soon as they become available.
Last but not least, NRO’s Kathryn Jean Lopez delivers some bad news for the anti-war left.
PM Update I: Michelle Malkin is liveblogging the Petraeus/Crocker testimonies. The money quotes:
In long-awaited testimony, the commanding general of the war said the objectives of last winter’s buildup in U.S. troops were “in large measure being met.”
As a result, he told a congressional hearing and a nationwide television audience, “I believe that we will be able to reduce our forces to the pre-surge level … by next summer without jeopardizing the security gains we have fought so hard to achieve.
And here’s more on that MoveOn.org ad, complete with pictures and transcript.
PM Update 2: The crazies from Code Pink had to be escorted out of the building. The video is here:
And Cindy Sheehan was arrested today. Again.
Moving on to more important matters, for those like me who couldn’t watch the speech today, Kathryn Jean Lopez has key points from it here. Michael Yon wrote a piece for NRO in which he urged people not to ask him what he thinks about Petraeus reports, but instead the battalion commanders.
And the left’s assaults on Petraeus continue – in between the serious, thoughtful commentary at this link, you’ll find several links where liberal know it all bloggers are accusing the General of essentially being a Bush shill – that is, in addition to being a “traitor.”
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Oh, and I expect Tommy to echo the Democrat talking points and trash Petraeus, too. Tommy will try to take cover in his “veteran” status. I do not consider E3s and E4s as military strategists.
PCD, tommy’s the exception, not the rule. The overwhelming majority of us veterans, as well as the active duty military, support the mission in Iraq and want to pursue the WOT all the way to victory. You saw the reception the President got during his visit to Iraq last week. You’d see the same at any VFW or American Legion convention.
McCain and Lieberman know what needs to be done. So does Fouad Ajami, just back from Iraq, in another WSJ commentary today.
Are we succeeding in Iraq? The leftists say no, and in fact they don’t want us to succeed. But from Iraq there’s another perspective:
Now that the surge is admittedly working, the left is moving the goalposts and focusing on failures of the Iraq government to meet “benchmarks”. Ajami has this comment:
Well said.
2, GWR, I did not mean to portray tommy as the typical vet. Tommy is a representative of the hate the right minority that do serve the country. I do believe tommy would be singing another tune had Saddam pumped an exocet or a silkworm missle into the ship tommy was on.
Pal Joey understands that American failure in the middle east only emboldens those whose sole agenda is the destruction of Israel and the United States, in that order.
Of course, PCD. It’s interesting that when generals, retired or otherwise, bash President Bush all you hear from these people is “Listen to the troops!!”, yet when the troops say something that they don’t like they will cast them as villainous, company line toting, lap dogs of the president.
How mature.
NC – You’re exactly right. They are eager to talk about how great any person in the military is so long as they agree with them, but as soon as someone in the military doesn’t, they call them liars, traiters, etc.
Need to take exception to what you said PCD.
While they may not be Generals or Captains, ect, it does not mean soldiers of lesser rank do not have the right to speak thier opinion either.
It also seems close to saying that because you have not served in the military you have no right to speak on military matters, which also is bunk.
On a direct note, not surprised that Sheehan was arrested with Code Pink, breaking her word that she was standing down as the head or ‘leader’ of the antiwar movement.
I also think this will play out badly for the Democrats, not just the report from Petraeus, but thier outright attacks on Petraeus BEFORE he even gave his report, atacking both his message (which they didn’t know what was in it – but billed it has ‘Bush’s report’) and Petraeus’s character itself.
Personally I think these attacks on Petraeus should be played as soundbites against these peole who came out like this, replay it over and over again and let the country know what type of fools these people are – and perhaps they will not get elected back.
Petraeus even said this was HIS testimony, and he has not even cleared what he was going to say with the Whitehouse, striking down the foolish notion that this is ‘Bush’s Report’.
I have no problem if the Democrats want to attack the message AFTER it has been delivered, then we all know what was said and can dissect it accordingly, but seeing the Democrats come out and attack the report and the man before he even gives his report I think is completely out of line and is nothing more than a smear campaign of fear….a fear of what might be said.
And yet, none of us are surprised.
/Yawn Speaking of non-splashes, has this woman made a single difference in anyone in the last year?? – Lorica
- Everyone on scene is describing the Dems as “livid”, after their roasting today in the hearings. Love to be a fly on the wall, and listen to some of the screaming going back and forth between the moveon/Kos Kids ect., and the Democratic leadership right about now. Must be a sight to behold.
- The Cal Senator holding up that NYT ad was simply devastating, contrasted by the Dems droning on with speeches, basically villyfying Patraeus, and the efforts of the troops, accusing him of letting the White House “edit” his report, and just generally do everything they possibly could to reinforce the idea that they desperately need an American failure in Iraq to survive the upcoming presidential cycle.
- Ending the hearings so abruptly probably indicates moderate Democrats had seen enough and pulled the plug in all out damage control. Patraeus was just too much for them to handle, added to the acting out of their lame brained crazy party wing in the attic.
- BBH –
So be it. The dems sold their soul to the moonbats and now they have to deal with them.
The Dems are realizing, in full measure right now, just how much of a Faustian bargain that was NC Cop. Let them twist I say.
Gen. Petraeus is a master at conterinsurgency warfare, they would be well advised to listen to him, regardless of whether they like what he’s saying or not.
- Out of ALL the prominent Dems, including the three major pres candidates, the Only one who has publicly condemned the moveon.org ad by press statements is, of all people, Nancy Pelosi. A first crack in the vote/love affair of the Dem core leadership with the far Left? Hard to say.
- Another Usama tape coming out shortly. UBL must really feel his movement is slipping.
- BBH –
Not quite. I was just getting ready to give Pelosi some credit when I read this article:
LINK
So the dems will condemn Moveon.org and maintain their “support for the troops” and their minions will do their bidding for them.
Watched alot of it on Fox and saw the loons from code pink standing up and making utter fools of themselves, even the dem chairman had them hauled out quickly. I thought mama nutcase sheehan was done with being used.
Heard Michelle Malkin say there is spose to be a counter march this week-end to counter the a.n.s.w.e.r. freaks, wish I could afford a plane ticket, I’d go in a heartbeat and scream right in their faces, would love to rumble with a young hippie freak, I’d show what an old patriotic broad can do.
- “…even the dem chairman had them hauled out quickly.”
- Looked impressive, until it became obvious that the Dem Representatives knew who they were, and let them in anyway, and they dragged out the interuptions as much as possible, one or two demonstraters at a time.
- The Dems did everything they could to try to skew the hearings, but unfortunately for them they were trying to mess with an honest man.
- BBH -
How come there are never any microphone ‘malfunctions’ when the Democrats are going on and on?