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| Home Front: Politix |
| Petraeus Is Talking; Is Anyone Listening? |
| 2007-07-20 |
| It's pathetic when a major political party holds a pajama party to publicize its desire to surrender during a war. But it's even worse when such shenanigans drown out a vital message from a real leader. In the end, it was a cheap PR stunt that came undone when the Senate voted not to cut off debate on a proposal to begin withdrawing troops within 120 days. Such maneuvers have earned the Democrat-led Congress the American public's contempt. They've rewarded this Congress with a 14% approval rating — the lowest ever. Unfortunately, the noise from Congress' pajama-clad know-nothings drowned out a truly important voice in this debate: that of Gen. David Petraeus. In case you don't know, he's the innovative commander who is spearheading our war effort in Iraq and the "surge" of 28,500 additional troops. He's worth listening to because this September he will deliver a progress report on Iraq to the American people. That report, required by Congress, will make or break our war effort. And that's why we listened carefully Wednesday as Petraeus spoke about the progress in Iraq on the Hugh Hewitt Radio Show. What he had to say, in measured, nonpartisan tones, both the good and the bad, should be of interest to every American. After watching a parade of Democratic congressmen pursue their 15 seconds of fame on TV, it was refreshing to hear someone who genuinely knows what he's talking about — and wants to win. Here's just a taste of what Petraeus said: • On progress in the war: "(W)e have achieved what we believe is a reasonable degree of tactical momentum on the ground, gains against the principal near-term threat, al-Qaida Iraq, and also gains against what is another near-term threat, and also potentially the long-term threat: Shia militia extremists."As we said, balanced. But read for yourself. The entire extraordinary interview can be found [here]. As you'll see, Petraeus is no Pollyanna. He knows things aren't perfect. He wants to get things right. But it's also clear from his remarks we've made significant progress in recent months in stabilizing major parts of Iraq. The surge seems to be working. Petraeus is doing an incredible job and deserves America's support. So do the 160,000 troops now in Iraq who risk their lives daily in the war on terror — even as some in Congress would pull the rug out from under them, making us all less safe. From what we've heard from Petraeus — and contrary to the parade of pundits and politicians urging us to withdraw — it seems we're winning this war. Maybe it's time the word got out. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #1 General, don't bother us with the facts or stories of success. By definition we are all-knowing and all-important since we took over control of Congress. Dhimmicrats |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2007-07-20 09:52 |