One hell of an admission at yesterday's Senate hearing:

quote:

In an unusual admission, Petraeus said he was not sure whether his proposal on Iraq would make America safer.

A visibly heated Sen. John Warner, R-Va., asked the question to which Petraeus said: ]“Sir, I don’t know, actually. I have not sat down and sorted that out in my mind. What I have focused on and riveted on is how to accomplish the mission of the multinational force Iraq.”

In other words, "That's beyond my pay grade."

..gjd

I see; the General is "focused and riveted on how to accomplish the mission of the multinational force Iraq”, which, by the way, is his job and he needs to concern himself with upsetting an over the hill Senator?

"No" and "I don't know" are very acceptable answers when the questions are obviously "beyond his pay grade". The man is paid to lead and fight; not play political football.

Since the "mission was accomplished" back in 2003, some of us have been wondering "what has been the mission since."

The problem is not pesky Representatives and Senators asking annoying questions, exercising the the very "checks and balances" engineered in the Constitution, but the fact that it took this long.

The problem is that one side wants us to fail, at any cost, for political gain. That's not only the bottom line but also the problem with America and Americans in general.

CNN showed Obama stating yesterday that he didn't appreciate the timing of the hearings, going on on the 9/11 anniversary and suggesting it was the fault of the Republicans trying to use 9/11 to support the war.

CNN pointed out that it was the Democrats who were behind the timing but also that this week was about the only time available with the Jewish Holidays approaching.

Don

quote:

this week was about the only time available with the Jewish Holidays approaching.

Aha! Another Zionist conspiracy. . .

...gjd

Had the general said ‘cut and run’, he would be a hero today. The media would herald him as a god! But he did not say ‘cut and run’ and is therefore worthless. Surprised? I, for one, am not.

The fact that the "CODE PINK" crowd was there in force should tell you all you need to know. We had anti-war protests here in Seattle yesterday on the 9/11 anniversary. The "9/11 Truth" folks were the main attendees. Again, that should tell you everything. Utterly shameful and ridiculous.

Okay, I know that I am often thick and miss the point so, exactly what should it have told me?

And no, I am not joking or poking you in the chest. I am missing your point.

My point is that some on the left say if they disagree with the President or the war they are labeled an Anti-American, or are branded as unpatriotic. I feel the opposite is also true. If you are on the right and agree with the President or the war, you are seen as evil or a warmonger, or uncompassionate to the feelings of others in the world. When protest groups like the ones I mentioned attend events like these, they are not criticized by the media or even the Congressional leaders. They are categorized as brave Americans and free thinkers who refuse to be brainwashed by the government. When I voice the opposing opinion, I am called a zealot, bigot, racist, megalomaniac, intolerant warmonger, and so on. I think that runs in line with your comments. If I'm not on the same page here, let me know.

Okay, I see what you were getting at now. I did not originally understand your message.

You are correct, those that stand against the war are portrayed as heroes and intellectuals by the media while those that want terrorism fought on foreign soil are labeled as stupid, hate-filled zealots. The problem is, everyone is so busy leveraging the war to attain power and flex their own muscle they forgot about national security.

But, if you continue to write as you do, you’d better be ready to be labeled as a hate-filled zealot as many of those here that politicize the war will be on you like white on rice.

Thanks for the advice, I have already felt the wrath. I am all for spirited debate on any issue, and I wouldn't deny someone their opinion. I may not agree, in fact I may vigorously disagree, but that's why we are a free country right? It's cool with me. If I even attepmt to discuss politics with my wife, she heads for the door, usually to the casino. In fact, I personally don't know very many people who even want to discuss the issues, much less enjoy it. I feel it is a rare and wonderful thing, having the ability to express our views the way we do in America. Yes, I may prefer one source of information over another but that's my prerogative. I very much respect anyone who stands by their point of view. I may not agree with, oh, say.....Dennis Kucinich, for example, but I gotta respect him when you look at his record and his positions. Similarly, I think alot of folks don't agree with a Tom Tom Tancredo, but again, he walks the walk, for the most part.

By the way, not to get off topic, I have been wondering for awhile why Rick Santorum isn't in the Republican mix. Is he too young? I think he would be a great candidate, like him or not. Even though he lost his seat in 2006, he'd still be a force on the trail. Anyway, I have said enough, therefore I am out!

OK, will everyone here be nice to supersisk he's an active duty coasty chief and some of you know how I feel about coasty chiefs.
At least that’s the way this old soldier and proud Coast Guard dad sees it! :

quote:

My point is that some on the left say if they disagree with the President or the war they are labeled an Anti-American, or are branded as unpatriotic. I feel the opposite is also true. If you are on the right and agree with the President or the war, you are seen as evil or a warmonger, or uncompassionate to the feelings of others in the world.

Those that occupy the extremes on either side of the argument are the ones that bother me. I don't believe that someone that is against the war is necessarily a screaming liberal commie rat, nor do I believe that just because someone does support the war they are an illiterate redneck idiot.

I believe most Americans live somewhere between the edges of the two extremes.

Maz,

quote:

The problem is that one side wants us to fail, at any cost, for political gain. That's not only the bottom line but also the problem with America and Americans in general.

You are 100% right and I am fed up with it. The darned Republicans keep coming up with one failure after another. Any group that screws the pooch that many times must be doing it on purpose for political gain.

Oh, you meant the Democrats. I see. The fact that they are against the endless screw ups in Iraq is for their political gain. I get it.

Code Pink?

Kool-Aid for Pat. His cup is running low!

Stop visiting MoveON.org, Pat. It’s rotting your brain!

The Senator asked a political question, the General gave a military answer, basically not answering a question that outside the scope of his responsibility.

I wonder if Eisenhower, if asked the same question about WWII, would have said "I don't know," or otherwise indicated it was outside the scope of his responsibility. I kind of doubt it!

...gjd

quote:

I wonder if Eisenhower, if asked the same question about WWII, would have said "I don't know," or otherwise indicated it was outside the scope of his responsibility. I kind of doubt it!

Now we've come full circle. I don't know how many times I've been told by the anit-administration crowd over the past few years to quit comparing what is going on in Iraq with WWII. Just like today's media; when and if it fits ones particular agenda, it's okay to go there.

By the way, Eisenhower was in Europe fighing the war, not testifying in front of Congress.