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| Pelousi warns Petraeus on Iraq testimony | ||||
| 2008-04-03 | ||||
| House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) warned Army Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker on Thursday “not to put a shine on recent events” in Iraq when they testify before Congress next week. I guess she must have sat out his last hearing because he didn't do anything like she is suggesting. Seems she is accusing him of painting too bright a picture of what is going on in Iraq because he is on W's "side" - the side of evil and corruption, of course. There are folks who will take the bait. My challenge to her is that she not play down Petraeus' testimony. And if she does challenge it, to provide facts as Petraeus does and can. “I hope we don’t hear any glorification of what happened in Basra,” said Pelosi, referring to a recent military offensive against Shiite militants in the city led by the Iraqi government and supported by U.S. forces. Although powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr agreed to a ceasefire after six days of fighting, Pelosi wondered why the U.S. was caught off guard by the offensive and questioned how the ceasefire was achieved, saying “the terms were probably dictated from Iran.” “We have to know the real ground truths of what is happening there, not put a shine on events because of a resolution that looks less violent when in fact it has been dictated by al-Sadr, who can grant or withhold that call for violence,” Pelosi said.
So far, Petraeus and Crocker have made very few public comments about the situation in Basra, but many Republicans have hailed it as an example of the Iraqi government standing up and further proof that President BushÂ’s troop surge is working. Republicans took issue Thursday with the notion that Petraeus would use events in Iraq to advance a political agenda. "Gen. Petraeus ... is not a political figure," said Michael Steel, spokesman for House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio). "The testimony he gives reflects the facts on the ground. If he reports that the security situation in Iraq is improving, as we hope he does, he will be echoing the assessment of many Democratic House members who have visited Iraq recently. Our priorities should be learning the facts and acting on them, not using any development as a pretext for irresponsible withdrawal."
The Democrats hammered two themes: The war in Iraq has stretched the military dangerously thin, and the enormous cost of the war is threatening the health of the U.S. economy. "The stretch and strain on our military is like never before," said Skelton. "I am terribly worried about this." Underscoring the Democrats’ economic points, Pelosi asked why the U.S. military in Iraq and Americans back home are paying more for gasoline than the Iraqis are. “Our troops in Iraq are paying about $3.25 a gallon for gas in Iraq, comparable to what we pay here, while the Iraqis are paying $1.36 a gallon,” Pelosi said. “This is a raw deal for the American taxpayer.”
This should be interpreted as signs that things are going well and that the war is necessary. “We are in a policy cul du sac. We just keep going around and around in circles.”
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| Posted by:gorb |
| #11 Don't try to confuse me with facts and related information. |
| Posted by: KBK 2008-04-03 21:57 |
| #10 Sammich? I can has one? BITCH? |
| Posted by: Elvis On a Tractor 2008-04-03 21:18 |
| #9 cuz Nancy has soooooo much more credibility than General Petraeus.... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-04-03 20:55 |
| #8 Petraeus should walk in and ask her to get him a cup of coffee, maybe whip him up some bacon and eggs... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-04-03 19:42 |
| #7 Do soldiers in Iraq have to buy their own gas for the hummers or something? What the hell are they talking about soldiers in Iraq paying what we pay here? |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-04-03 19:34 |
| #6 A general only gets one chance to be a general in war, and it is always his last assignment. If Petraeus wants to, he can bitch slap Pelosi and company like Oliver North did. But that is the difference between Colonels and Generals. Colonels feel free to give a thumb in the eye to officious pettifoggers. Generals are strategists, and know that as gratifying as it is to do so, it rarely changes anything, yet can backfire against the very military they led. So Petraeus will give the testimony that is expected of him, and the Democrats will curse him and call him a liar, and the media will try to tar him as a political general and an incompetent. But in the final analysis, what does it matter what scurrilous dogs think? Theirs is a life lived without honor or dignity, and once gone they will be forgotten. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-04-03 19:30 |
| #5 Pelosi wondered why the U.S. was caught off guard by the offensive and questioned how the ceasefire was achieved, saying “the terms were probably dictated from Iran.” Did she just say that Iran is supporting operations in Iraq? The Democrats hammered two themes: The war in Iraq has stretched the military dangerously thin, and the enormous cost of the war is threatening the health of the U.S. economy. Constituants were skeptical that they were going to hear anything new from pelousi and skeleton. So your theme is already planned out before you hear anything from General Petraeus? “Our troops in Iraq are paying about $3.25 a gallon for gas in Iraq, comparable to what we pay here, while the Iraqis are paying $1.36 a gallon,” Pelosi said. “This is a raw deal for the American taxpayer.” Huh? What does that have to do with anything except maybe gas taxes are high in some places. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2008-04-03 16:54 |
| #4 Remember, the only body count allowed is our own. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2008-04-03 16:46 |
| #3 So she wouldn't have a problem with Petaeus and Crocker giving Congress unduly pessimistic testimony? It's only excessive optimism that she frowns on? |
| Posted by: Matt 2008-04-03 16:25 |
| #2 ...warn Pelosi not to put a shine on House Democratic accomplishments. Can't shine a turd. Either get behind our troops Pelousi, or get in front of them. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2008-04-03 16:22 |
| #1 “not to put a shine on recent events” In an ideal world, Petraeus would warn Pelosi not to put a shine on House Democratic accomplishments. “Our troops in Iraq are paying about $3.25 a gallon for gas in Iraq, comparable to what we pay here, while the Iraqis are paying $1.36 a gallon,” Pelosi said. “This is a raw deal for the American taxpayer.” Try taking off the state and federal taxes and also pumping and refining somewhere closer -- like San Francisco Bay. On second thought, let's just take the Iraqi's gasoline -- that should make everything better. Rhymes with "witch". |
| Posted by: Darrell 2008-04-03 16:06 |