From The Man Himself
House Democrats Afraid To Meet With Petraeus
H/T: Rich Lowery - The Corner (from Roll Call)
The top military commander in Iraq will make a rare visit to Capitol Hill next week but House Democratic leaders — unlike their Senate counterparts — initially declined the Defense Department’s offer of a Members-only closed-door briefing with Army Gen. David Petraeus, according to Congressional and administration sources.
A spokesman for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) at first acknowledged Tuesday that the Pentagon’s request to have Petraeus give a House briefing had been denied due to “scheduling conflicts” next week. Later on Tuesday, Pelosi’s office contacted Roll Call stating that the Speaker was now working to set up a session….
According to an administration official, Pelosi and Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) initially declined recent requests from the Defense Department to schedule a briefing on either Wednesday or Thursday of next week.
The Pentagon first approached Armed Services Committee aides to set up a briefing, but panel aides said they were “too busy” to schedule a meeting next week, the administration official said. A second attempt to set up a briefing with the Speaker’s office was likewise declined….
“It’s puzzling that for the first time that Gen. Petraeus is in the country since he was unanimously confirmed by the Senate that the House has declined an offer to talk to him. We would hope that they would reconsider,” the official said before Pelosi reversed course Tuesday and agreed to set up a House-wide meeting with Petraeus next Thursday….
Sunday, April 22, 2007 U.S. News & World Report
The top American commander in Iraq says the new security plan ‘will take months, not days, not weeks’
By Linda Robinson
Posted 4/22/07
BAGHDAD-As one of the season’s first sandstorms began to turn the skies of Baghdad brown last Wednesday, a car bomb went off during the lunch hour. Three more bombs followed in the next six hours, in all killing more than 150 Iraqis and wounding some 200 others on one of the bloodiest days in the four years since the United States invaded to topple Saddam Hussein. Most of that grisly toll occurred in a parking area for the large Sadriya market-a location that was newly vulnerable after residents turned away recent steps to prevent just such an attack.
This wasn’t the first time bombers struck the busy, largely Shiite enclave. The market itself had been devastated (and some 137 people killed) early this year by a suicide truck bomber. In a show of support, the new commander of the U.S.-led coalition forces, Gen. David Petraeus, made a point of visiting the market and mingling with shoppers soon after his arrival in February. As part of the new Baghdad security plan-which Petraeus helped design and is in charge of implementing-large concrete barriers were brought in to restrict access to the parking area after a military “red team” determined that area too was vulnerable. But on April 15, three days before the deadly attack, Iraqi officials ordered the 12-foot “Texas barriers” pulled away after local residents complained about the obstruction.
In a lengthy interview with U.S. News a day after the bombings, Petraeus grimly lamented the loss of life and said that restrictive measures such as the concrete walls are a necessary part of security provisions. “The public has to put up with the inconvenience,” he said. His calls for Iraqis to persevere were echoed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who arrived later in the day and visited the western Anbar province, where months of tribal negotiations and new tactics have brought a glimmer of hope. Once the Wild West hotbed of the Sunni unrest, insurgent violence in Anbar has dropped as Sunni tribes have formed a local council and sent recruits to join the regular police and new ad-hoc militias called “emergency response units.”
Withholding judgment. This week, Petraeus is scheduled to make his first comprehensive report to Congress on the implementation of the so-called surge strategy. He will face a Congress deeply divided over Iraq, with Democratic leaders doubtful about the prospects for success and headed for a showdown with President Bush over setting a troop withdrawal deadline. Using a formulation he is likely to employ in testifying to Congress, Petraeus said it is too soon to make any judgment about how many troops will be needed and for how long. “It will be another two months before all the troops are on the ground,” he said. “We only have 60 percent of the troops in place. There has been some progress, but it will take months, not days, not weeks.” And, he added, “at the end of the day it will require Iraqi political steps to foster reconciliation among Iraqis.”
Summing up his first nine weeks as commander here, he said that “We see some slow, steady progress but also disappointments in some areas like car bombings and suicide bombings.” The progress, he said, has come in the form of a significant decline in killings by Shiite death squads since January. But the Sunni insurgents and terrorists have stepped up their attacks and are, for instance, presumed responsible for the Sadriya market bombing. “Clearly, al Qaeda is trying to derail the security plan by reigniting sectarian violence,” the general said of the recent attacks, which also included the bombing of Parliament and the destruction of a key bridge.
U.S. officials also say that the increase in U.S. soldiers’ deaths-which have topped 80 a month since February-is not unexpected given the new security push. The plan aims to secure Baghdad and the surrounding area by sending out 17,500 U.S. soldiers and thousands of Iraqi police and troops in small detachments. The goal is to provide protection to a battered population and create some breathing room for Iraqis to move forward on reconciling their political differences.
About 10,000 of those U.S. soldiers, three of five brigades in the “surge,” have now arrived in Iraq, and many of them have moved out into Baghdad neighborhoods into “joint security sites” and even smaller “combat outposts.” They have erected security walls around public gathering spots like markets, rounded up weapons caches, and detained suspected Sunni insurgents and Shiite death squads. The sectarian death squads have largely gone to ground, although Petraeus remains concerned about activity in four neighborhoods. “It takes time to clear a neighborhood,” he said. “This is not for the impatient.”
Indeed, a test of wills is now underway as the troops move into neighborhoods. In the dead of night, insurgents dragged newly erected concrete barriers away from markets in some areas. Even after U.S. soldiers pulled the huge slabs back into place and wired them together with thick cables, insurgents have returned with blowtorches to move them yet again. “Al Qaeda wants access to the population,” Petraeus said. “This is a battle over neighborhoods.”
In a major gambit to gain greater support from other countries, a high-level conference is planned for the Egyptian resort of Sharm al-Sheikh on May 3 and 4. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will attend, as will the foreign ministers from Europe and Iraq’s neighbors. Iraq’s prime minister and other top officials will be there as well. On the first day of the conference, an international aid agreement orchestrated by the United Nations and the Iraqi government is to be rolled out. In return for Iraqi commitments to economic reforms, countries are to pledge their support for reconstruction, either by renewing earlier, unfulfilled aid pledges or by making new, additional pledges. In a pleasant surprise, Saudi Arabia-which has been publicly grumbling about the U.S. “occupation” of Iraq-announced last week that it would forgive 80 percent of Iraq’s debt owed the kingdom, about $18 billion. It is a small portion of Iraq’s total outstanding foreign debt of some $380 billion, but the gesture offers hope that the summit will not be another disappointing diplomatic exercise.
Friends and foes. Discussion on May 4 will turn to regional politics, specifically ways in which each country is helping or hindering Iraq’s fledgling government and moribund reconciliation process. The spotlight will be on Iran and Syria and on how actively Rice engages with two states the United States formally accuses of supporting terrorism (and, in Iran’s case, of seeking nuclear weapons). Calling their actions “distinctly unhelpful,” Petraeus told U.S. News: “It is a fact that foreign fighters come in through Syria … and that various insurgent groups have their political headquarters, if you will, inside Syria. And it’s a fact that Iran has been fueling some of the very, very lethal activities on the Shia side through the provision of money, advanced weapons, and training.”
Petraeus then proceeded to add some very specific details about Iran’s meddling: Two death squad leaders, once connected to Shiite firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, were recently captured after a yearlong effort by U.S. and Iraqi special operations forces. Breaking with Sadr, the two brothers, Laith and Qais Khazali, allegedly led a splinter group of 3,000 followers that received training and weapons from Iran.
In a not-so-veiled warning to Iran, Petraeus said: “We learned an enormous amount about [Iranian activities] during the interrogation of the Khazali brothers and the materials that were captured with them, which included very detailed logs of operations and a 22-page report on the operation in Karbala.” In the latter, four U.S. soldiers were kidnapped and killed by Shiite militia members wearing stolen U.S. uniforms and carrying official IDs. Calling activities by Iran and Syria “very damaging,” Petraeus is clearly hoping that his message reaches Sharm al-Sheikh.
This story appears in the April 30, 2007 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.
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Jesus Christ… is that her real face with no photshopping?!? What’s that growing on her lower lip?
No wonder she won’t meet with anyone.
April 22nd, 2007 at 7:49 pmI have a similar one of Howard Dean that I made and it makes my day to see it. What a bunch of dangerous clowns.
April 22nd, 2007 at 8:13 pmShe has always been a cancer. It is now starting to show through the makeup/spackle.
April 22nd, 2007 at 10:02 pm“This story appears in the April 30, 2007 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.”
When did this story come out? April 30, 2007 hasn’t happened yet.
Pat- could you put in links to references in the future? Every one of your rants inspires me to look into the subjects further, having some other sources would help. Also, it would help me when trying to explain what you are saying to some of my less educated friends.
Thanks
April 22nd, 2007 at 10:11 pmGrumpy:
The print editions of most weeklies hit the stands a week in advance. So the story came out in today’s issue ( 23rd ) which is actually next week’s issue, and is dated as such. So the future has happened in the past of today. The date notation is actually from U.S. News itself, not me, from the future in the past of today’s online edition. Which you can find dated as today, online. Today being Monday, even though I’m typing this on a West Coast Sunday, because you’ll most likely be reading it tomorrow.
April 22nd, 2007 at 10:32 pmPat you just lost me at hello…
April 23rd, 2007 at 1:32 amThe politics are so basic that they easily get overlooked. And the Saudi debt of 18 billion is a huge diplomatic maneuver. I see alot of positive things in the article, and the defeatists will undermine any progress to their doom.
The lack of patience has been my strongest point when confronting leftists in many forums that I’ve visited It’s a Starbucks mentality. I seem to remember Bush admitting that before we invaded Iraq.
Pat, keep up the good work.
April 23rd, 2007 at 3:17 amThe surge isn’t working, the war is lost. But, we are too busy to meet with the Commander …
It’s like they are all up on the hill tripping their brains out. Britta filters stat! It must be in the water.
April 23rd, 2007 at 5:30 amInstread of responding to the blogs from the weekend, I’ll just lay it out this one time. First to Rummy, you mentioned that in a perfect world Dingy Harry would be a fluffer. This must be the perfect world, how else do you thing Reid got all those wrinkles around his mouth?!?!?
It is also very heartening to see that so many others are getting involved in contacting their elected officials. The facists are going to get the picture very soon, and start doing a 180, so they can curry the voters to try to stay in power. The real crime will be commited by the MSM, as they will go along with the scam, and not hold the liberals to account for pulling a switch. Anything to keep the liberals traitors in office, and to ensure their power base. I think a lot of people are going to wake up around the 2008 elections.
Regarding the differences in the military men and women of our great country. Whether Army, Marine Air Force, Navy or Coast Guard, they are all honorable to be a part of, to serve our country. I beg to differ on the ASVAB score thing. Having minimal scores means nothing, what you need to do is look at the scores required for the same job in the different services. And yes, even thought the names or titles vary, there are many MOS’s that are the same across the board. ASVAB scores have their place, the main idea everyone needs to remember is that those who join are VOLUNTEERS! and that takes a certain amount of honor in and of itself.
As to the spouses of military forces, I salute you as you have the hardest job of all, waiting for word, and when that word is received, wondered how factual or washed it has become. My twelve years of service I refused to have any long term relationship, I did not feel it was right to put a lady I cared for in that position. My views, I am entitled to them. Each of you are also entitled to agree or disagree with me. That is a big part of this country. However, after serving in the Corps, and then switching to the Army, I have to point this fact out. In the Marines, if you cannot meet the physical requirements of the service, you will not graduate Marine Corps Basic. However, when I was at Ft Leonard Wood in MO (Fort Lost in the Woods to those who have been) I was appaled to see pukes that had graduated Army basic training with a PT waiver!!! Those who could or would not pass the most basic requirements were given waivers by their drill sergeants so their graduation percentage was higher! That I thought was just disgraceful in so many ways. first, the drill sergeants were graduating people who did not deserve to. and thos pukes then beciome the resposibility of the training cadre to get them up to snuff. That irresponsibility then led to less time for these people to learn their MOS, more time required on PT. That in turn meant those who were physically qualied were short changed in having the proper amount of time given them by their MOS training cadre. In my late 20’s and up through my mid 30’s, I could due better on an Army PFT than many 18 and 19 year old, even though I was a smoker, and spent little time on training. I give credit for that to those four bastards that beat the living hell out of me to help make me get through MCRD. Even after 20+ years, I still remeber their names,faces, and voices, and will likely never forget them, they showed me and hundreds others what it took to be a Marine, and to hold the pride of that for the rest of our lives.
That being said, I still have respect for those who serve in all branches. I have plenty of friend from the Navy, Army Air Force and of course, Marines. We always give a huge ration of grief to each other for the branch we served in. As mentioned in other posts, this is good inter-service rivalry. We still share jokes about the various services, and each other. If you cannot laugh at yourself, you are in for a rough life, and most of the people I have met over the years that cannot or will not laugh at themselves are these pansy liberal leftist socialist cummunist pukes that are invested in the defeat of the American way of life and our military.
What we need to remember are those of us who have fallen, those injured and those who still or will serve, and give them the honor and respect they deserve. We also need to help them by giving voice to our displeasure the liberals and the MSM serve every day.
Pat has given us a great place here to share our thoughts, and to garner ideas and ammunition against those who are defeatists. It is up to all of us to make use of this as effectively as possible.
Don’t ask me why this old jarhead is being soft today, I think spending all weekend with my 5 year old son, and then planning on having to spend some time soon away from him is making me soft in my old age. It is for him and all the young of all patriotic Americans that we need to continue to fight the good fight, whether it is against the MSM and the libs or against the terrorist homicidal camel humpers over in the big sand box.
April 23rd, 2007 at 5:33 amPelosi must be seeing the same surgeon “The Joker” saw … Put up that picture next to Jack Nicholson’s “Joker” and you can’t tell the diff.!
April 23rd, 2007 at 5:49 amWow I think that pic was taken pre-coital I mean seriously creepy
April 23rd, 2007 at 4:57 pmI just wanted to tell everyone on here and especially you, Pat that sometimes even though I try my very best to fight it the MSM and their negative attitude and their constant cheerleading for the left gets to me… I start to think that I am part of a small, microscopic minority but visiting pages like yours and reading others comments is a healthy dose of reality that all is not lost and we must continue to fight the good fight!
April 24th, 2007 at 9:38 amThanks again!!!
I thought no one was as scary as my ex wife, but Pelosi manages that in spades!
April 26th, 2007 at 10:28 pmI spent 26 years in the Navy, 18 in surface craft and 8 in submarines, protecting the country from the Enemy without.
Turns out I should have been protecting from the Enemy within. The communist traitors in Congress on both sides of the aisle, though more notably on the democratic side, should be tried for treason and packed into a cell under the prison, where they pipe sunlight in on alternate thursdays. The msm and other of their cheerleaders should be arrested, tried and led out and shot for the dirty little traitors that they are. Yes, I know, that sounds a little severe, but guess what, this is a time of war, one I might add that we did not start. If this country had half the nads that our fathers had in world war II this thing would already be over. Even in Nam, we did not try our soldiers for fighting the war. We treated them like crap when they got home, but mostly they were allowed to kill when needed. (not always, thanks to politicians (democrats again) and the msm, but even with casualties of up to 500 a week, no one declared the war was lost after the first 3-4000 casualties, and certainly did not do so from the house and the senate floors.
Where is a Reagan when you need one?
A.L. Wingers RMCS(SS) USN Ret.
I agree with Maria — it is nice to see that we are not alone in our fight for liberty, justice and freedom from those in Congress who would take it from us the first chance they get.
We need to stick together and convince those who stayed home in 2006, not to dare stay home in 2008 — we need every vote to topple this “rogue regime” and I do not just mean the one in Iran….The Fifth Column is becoming stronger right here in the old USA!! We need to replace
April 26th, 2007 at 11:52 pmCongress with men and women with backbone….those who will stand and fight for the rights of those who elected them in the first place..
I think we just need to support our troops no matter what. They are defending our country over there, better there than over here. Would Pelosi/Reid want to surrender if we are attacked again and we are all fighting for our lives. Yes they would. We need to have stronger people in our government and ones that will stand up for the Constitution and the laws of country and its people not for their own power agenda.
April 27th, 2007 at 8:34 amI am proud to be a veteran of our Armed forces. There are no better two things to be than to be an American and a Veteran. I am also embarrassed about our so called leadership in Congress. What they are doing with the Bill to fund the troops in the war is criminal. They are not only telling the enemy when we would pull out of the war, but they are also adding money to spend in there home districts so they can get re-elected next time around.
April 30th, 2007 at 10:37 amNow they refused to see and talk to our lead military person in this war. What kind of low life political hacks are these left wing scum anyway. Never in our history has our congress done this type of thing. Now, if you check our history you will see that Congress has acted almost this badly in every war that we have been involved in. Including WWI and WWII. But never to tell the enemy when we will leave the battlefield which is to surrender to them. And the cowards won’t talk to the Commander. Man, what a shameful day that is.
Juat when you thought these Left–wing Elites couldn’t stoop any lower - they have managed to lower the bar even below any of our expectations. They had the unmitigated gall to call our Leading Military Commander, Gen. Petraeus, a Liar by claiming that he “cooked the books” oin his tried to defaim his integrity and his pariotism after serving this country for well over 30 years with a spotless record of valor. The American people; Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, or Green Peace —what ever—- should come down on them like “white on rice” and denounce such traitorous acts as this Ad in the leading Marxist newspaper, the New York Times, who gave them a discount (60%) and even ran it BEFORE the General even made his report to Congress. This is a sinister act at it’s worst!
These “Useful Idiots” are the traitors!!!
Comments are encouraged!!
September 18th, 2007 at 4:17 pm