General Betray-Us
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An opportune break in my class schedule has allowed me to watch the opening statements in the House hearing with witnesses General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker. Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton started with a cordial introduction (too cordial for my taste). Next was the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, holocaust survivor Tom Lantos, who gave a thoughtful opening statement in which he candidly told Petraeus that he "didn't buy" the reported "progress" in Iraq.
Then, I started to get sick. Duncan Hunter, ranking nut job on the Armed Services Committee, and Presidential not-hopeful, talked mostly about attacks on Petraeus on from the left, including Moveon.org's full page ad in the New York Times. Then the ranking member of the FA committee, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, echoed Hunter, talking more about the left's effort to undermine Petraeus, than the surge itself. This is just so typical of conservatives. They are more angry with the left-wing backlash (which is is unfortunatley not substantial enough) than the high levels of violence in Iraq. They are ignoring what should be loud and clear: The surge is a failure, and anyone who justifies its continuation should be discredited.
The surge has not decreased sectarian violence. When General Betray-us says that sectarian strife has decreased, he is fudging the numbers. He is not including Sunni on Sunni and Shia on Shia violence, nor is he including Car bombs, which happens to be a very common occurance in Baghdad. There has been no political progress. All military progress is irrelevant for a number of reasons. First, the numbers are deflated because of how many Iraqis have fled the country. Secondly, securing one province (which is 5% of the country) will not do enough. Finally, we're just playing a game of whack-a-mole. Wherever we go, they will go attack somewhere else. All we're doing is further angering the Iraqi people, and through our actions, creating a new generation of those who want to do us harm.
Frankly, I don't give a darn who General Petraeus is. This war wouldn't be won with General Superman. I don't care about small incremental progress in Anbar Province, or Diyala, or any other area for that matter. The strategy is fundamentally ridiculous, and the fact that we are still supposed to believe people who have been wrong about everything boggles my mind.
So when you watch the dog and pony show from Congress, step back and remember what is actually going on. The administration is using these people as puppets to fulfill their ultimate goal, which is to keep Americans dying in Iraq long enough so that they are not blamed for losing the war they started.
End the War.
Then, I started to get sick. Duncan Hunter, ranking nut job on the Armed Services Committee, and Presidential not-hopeful, talked mostly about attacks on Petraeus on from the left, including Moveon.org's full page ad in the New York Times. Then the ranking member of the FA committee, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, echoed Hunter, talking more about the left's effort to undermine Petraeus, than the surge itself. This is just so typical of conservatives. They are more angry with the left-wing backlash (which is is unfortunatley not substantial enough) than the high levels of violence in Iraq. They are ignoring what should be loud and clear: The surge is a failure, and anyone who justifies its continuation should be discredited.
The surge has not decreased sectarian violence. When General Betray-us says that sectarian strife has decreased, he is fudging the numbers. He is not including Sunni on Sunni and Shia on Shia violence, nor is he including Car bombs, which happens to be a very common occurance in Baghdad. There has been no political progress. All military progress is irrelevant for a number of reasons. First, the numbers are deflated because of how many Iraqis have fled the country. Secondly, securing one province (which is 5% of the country) will not do enough. Finally, we're just playing a game of whack-a-mole. Wherever we go, they will go attack somewhere else. All we're doing is further angering the Iraqi people, and through our actions, creating a new generation of those who want to do us harm.
Frankly, I don't give a darn who General Petraeus is. This war wouldn't be won with General Superman. I don't care about small incremental progress in Anbar Province, or Diyala, or any other area for that matter. The strategy is fundamentally ridiculous, and the fact that we are still supposed to believe people who have been wrong about everything boggles my mind.
So when you watch the dog and pony show from Congress, step back and remember what is actually going on. The administration is using these people as puppets to fulfill their ultimate goal, which is to keep Americans dying in Iraq long enough so that they are not blamed for losing the war they started.
End the War.
!
When looking at the NY Times ad (here's a Baltimore Sun clip about it Link, isn't the critical question, 'Was this the right strategy for MoveOn.org's cause?
Frankly I think this flap won't have any lasting effects outside of mobilizing the right, and giving them a reason to vote for continued presence in Iraq (a significant, but expected development).
But this ad, in conjunction with the current press flurry over Petraeus and Crocker was not a good news-day for anti-war progressives.
Though already wheel has already turned: press clips are now running with the critical problems in Iraq.
Why MoveOn.org decided to attack Petraeus baffles me, especially in light of Harry Reid's media botches involving Petraeus.
The real question is for those wanting US troops out of Iraq is how to promote that policy in the American public. And looking at various strategies and adjudicating their effectiveness, is a critical part of that process.
Why did MoveOn.org give something that so easily would be used to deflect attention from Petraeus' testimony is an important question to ask.
How to move on from this flap and build up support for a pull-out date--without handing the opposing sides easy victories--is even more important.