Congressman Keith Ellison called for troop withdrawals to begin immediately following the Capitol testimony of General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker. From the release…
“General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker came before the Congress today and told us we are winning the war – there is light at the end of the tunnel – but we just need a little ‘more time to consolidate gains’,” Ellison stated. “We’ve heard it all too many times before,” Ellison said. “This was a war that was to last ‘no more than six months, tops’ former Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld told us. Five years ago!” Ellison stated.
“The time clock on Iraq has expired; a clock that has cost us over 4,000 of America’s best and brightest young men and women; grievously wounded another 30,000 and is draining our treasury nearly $400 Million every day — $4,000 a second!
General after General has told us that we need a political settlement in order to bring peace to Iraq. We can start that process today by pulling the region together, including Iran and Syria, and beginning the safe and orderly withdrawal of our troops.
Only then can we refocus our immediate and unqualified attention on the real threat to America; al-Qaeda operatives. It has been a remarkable 2,382 days since that dark day in September, 2001 – and Osama bin Laden still remains free.
Just this week, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen, joined the chorus of military leaders who have admitted because of the war in Iraq, we do not have the troops ready to fight the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Mullen stated: ‘We don’t have the troops – particularly the Brigade Combat Team size – sitting on the shelf, ready to go.’ (3/28/08)
Staying the course in Iraq, with no exit plan, is the wrong course for Iraq; the wrong course for America; and the wrong course for peace in the Region,”
Amen.
Just curious…is Ellison calling Petraeus a liar? It sure looks like he’s calling our country’s top general a liar to me.
Translation: Troops can capture a town many times, but if the political rebuild part can’t manage to even provide clean running water then the political rebuild part can’t stay in power in the town unless guns are constantly pointed at the populace.
No, Chris - he’s not calling General Petraeus a liar.
General Petraeus has done a fine job; he led the charge to change on the ground tactics from conventional warfare to unconventional warfare.
The sad fact that Bush Apologists never recognize, is that the faulty war plans devised by RumsFailed, combined with the lack of ocupational plans combined with ineffectual State Department administration has led to a FUBAR with no good ending. “Victory” is a slogan, NOT a plan.
Republicans broke it, it cannot be fixed, and it’s time for Iraq to find it’s own destiny.
You cannot export democracy by the barrel of a gun.
Afghanistan bankrupted the Soviets and Iraq is threatening to do the same to us. If republicans have their way, Iraq will bankrupt us.
Those that forget the lessons of history, tend to vote GOP.
Does ‘extreme’ actually mean reasonable?
I think it must.
Patraeus is not our country’s top General. There are several people that outrank Patraeus. Even with regard to Iraq, he’s not the top General. The chain of command starts with the President, then the Sec Def, then Gen. Martin Dempsey of Centcom and only then Gen. Patraeus.
Sean–
I corrected the misspelling of Petraeus in this post.
It’s those darn Dutch and their vowels.
Sean