Damning "Prebuttal" of Petraeus's Testimony
The National Security Network offers this "prebuttal" to Petraeus's testimony:
While the General is giving his opinion to Congress, the Iraqis themselves have a much more dire outlook:
ABC News reports also that a new poll commissioned by ABC and BBC shows that 65-70% of Iraqis say that security conditions are worse since the surge and 45% want an immediate American withdrawal. Most strikingly, in Baghdad and even in Anbar -- touted as the area of greatest US success -- attitudes towards the surge were 100% negative.
We'll be getting up video as soon as we can, but Ilan Goldenberg will be live blogging/fact-checking at Democracy Arsenal
If you see anything clipworthy during the hearing, please let us know.
UPDATE: Please use this thread as an open thread on the hearing.
Oh gawd, the hearing is starting and I'd hoped it wouldn't all be congressional hot air.
And . . frist!
You know I want to see someone to do a spilt screen video comparing Westmorland's testimony saying that we are winning in Vietnam and Petraeus’s testimony.
Post it on youtube!
Skelton is right on target.
Screw what the Iraqis want. They'll take the democracy we give them and like it!
This isn't and has never been about the lives of Iraqis or our troops. This has always and will remain to be about hegemony. Empire's thirst for oil and money. Why is that so hard for most Americans to grasp? Propaganda?
Iraqi's write in Dear Direys?
One thing the Nazi's learned, much to their chagrin, is good record keeping isn't always a plus.
Count Lantos at your service...
With the long-awaited surge progress report from General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker due beginning today, Perrspectives has updated its Iraq Document Center. The repository includes the latest news, statistics, key reports and other essential materials surrounding the Iraq war and its run-up.
For the overview, see:
"Required Reading for Petraeus, Crocker Testimony."
Another 6 months and Gen Betrayus say 1 brigade may come home without replacement. Sounds good huh? What they are not saying about this "troop reduction" is that the reason they won't be replaced is THERE ISN'T ANYONE TO REPLACE THEM WITH!!!! The goddamn truth is out there that this surge is NOT working. They can fudge the numbers all they want but the truth is they are sacrificing the lives of many more American troops and Iraqi civilians while bush drags it out so someone else has to deal with it. When will the media call attention to the fact that we were told that if the Iraqis wanted us to leave we would? When will they acknowledge that the "purple finger" bullshit was just that. They had free and democratic elections they shout, and yet WE don't even acknowledge their government. We do things that this Iraqi government doesn't want us to do like arming the Sunni and building walls to divide cities. We need to get the f**k out now! I could rant all day. I am just so SICK SICK SICK of this shit!
Janet @ 9:
http://www.hembeck.com/Images/BeatlesSatire/SickCover.jpg
Wow this Lantos guy is saying it like it is.
Sept 15 another "hearing" will take place in the streets of D.C.
This isn't the Be Afraid! Very Afraid! crowd.
So type a few words of support.
BETRAYUS asking for another "Friedman".
The General and the Ambassador look as nervous as two whores sitting in church........... Come to think of it that's what they are, the WarPig's whores.
Janet @ 11:
YEAH!
Jerry @ 14:
Because there are people in the crowd coughing "BULLSHIT" under their breath.
Is that flop sweat I see on Betrayus' forehead?!
Duncan Hunter -- STFU you reichwing parrot!
Can't stand watching Hunter give "Betrayus" a blowjob on live tv. Disgusting!
HEY, they said BETRAYUS...that's MY line!!
Oh...Duncan Hunter is just another GOP enabling asshat.
I hope someone points out to Hunter that the numbers have been fudged. They aren't even counting all the deaths. F**kers!!!!
Betrayus is supposed to be a very smart guy, so why does he look like he arrived on Capital Hill on the short bus?
Hunter: Give me the proof that 50 percent of U.S. Casualites had occurred in the
Anbar Providence? BS...just more unconfirmed "cherry picking" data NOT supported.
Rep Duncan Hunter is giving a lecture on how swell Petraeus is. He points out that the Senate loves the war and is trying to destroy the US Constitution has given Petraeus an overwhelming vote of support.
There you go, enemies of the US Constitution, love Petraeus.
Hunter just sat there and said he has NOT read the report yet, but yet he continues cheerleading the whole war. GOP filth.
Hunter: We are not back in 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down, nor or we talking
about El Salvedore? Get current get you asshole.
I love when they start spewiing about the sacrifice of the troops. The troops are FORCED to sacrifice because of lousy GOP leadership over the last 20 year. They are suffering because of indifference to human life, families and American values.
Assmonkeys like Duncan Hunter are the REASON why this war has gone on this long.
OHHH...here comes Ronald Reagan now. Who is he going to invoke next...George Washington??
Why doesn't he just come out from behind his desk and start fellating Gen. Betrayus right in front of the cameras.
AP - 1 minute ago
WASHINGTON - Gen. David Petraeus went before Congress on Monday to deliver his long-awaited assessment of Iraq, greeted by Democrats who praised him while sharply criticizing the war he commands.
Talk about double standards.
What sacrifices has Petraeus made? Has he lost a limb?
Wow, so if Gen. Betrayus plays his cards right...he can get the whole Congress to blow him before he goes back to Iraq.
When Bush can visit an open-air market in Iraq, ANYWHERE in Iraq, WITH advance notice of the appearance, and NO "flak" jackets, I will believe it's safe there, and there is progress. What a bunch of lies.
Liberal AND Proud @ 30:
Those little blue pills are said to be magical.
Liberal AND Proud @ 30:
The Bush White House has outfoxed Congress at just about every turn, backing the lackluster Democratic leadership into a political corner where any real attempt to end the war comes off looking like abandonment of our troops in the field.
brad miller misplaced her douchbag this morning and believes that libberal bloggers absconded with it to discredit her and betrayus!
This asshole general appears, to me, to be like Gonzales: in way over his head.
Apology? WTF? That stats are out there. He IS going to lie. No apology necessary you BITCH!
Is there a better site to watch this from than CSpan-3? It is lagging bad for me.
I retain from this video that the Vietnam comparison is not the right one anymore: Iraq will be what Afghanistan has been for the Soviet Union.
how many of these assholes have to blow off before we hear betrayus whore for the bush team
Weaseldog @ 37:
I'm watching CNN
Site Monitor: MSNBC, FOX and CNN are all airing the hearing.
Yay! The Bedwetter Consiracy Theory of World Domination by Brown People!
Janet @ 36:
Yeah, how about an apology to all the Americans smeared by these chumps calling them supporters of Osama. That will never happen but they will continue to call all dissenters traitors and ask for an apology from ALL their critics.
Let me predict what this asshole general is going to say: "Ah, we need a few more months, then I'll give another report, to see if the surge is working... still not enough time..."
And in a few months, they will delay the next announcement by say 3 or 4 months... then they will make ANOTHER progress report, when they will say, "Ah, gee.... we're still not sure... can we have a few more months?"
Odd, Iraq wasn't a hotbed of international terrorism before Bush got there... now it's the #1 breeding ground in the world, for terrorists... and all of this was WELL KNOWN, and WELL DISCUSSED in places like this BEFORE Bush invaded.
65-70% of Iraqis say that security conditions are worse since the surge
That's what happens when you're on the lethal end of the surge.
Janet @ 40:
Thank you.
L.A. Confidential @ 33:
The White House is not brilliant. It isn't brilliant strategy to call anyone that does not agree with you a TRAITOR. It is UNDEMOCRATIC to behave like that. The Administration basically is a fascist regime with no interest or understanding of real democracy. In a democracy, people debate openly and in good faith, and let their argument and the faith intheir convictions rule the day. They do not engage in name calling and character assassination. That is school yard shit, and the kind of crap you see in third world parliaments.
George Bush is not a real man. He is not even a real adult. He sells himself as Mr. Big Balls all go President...when in fact he is a classic bully and a classic wimp. As are ALL Republicans...yes I said ALL...because they all engage in the same bullshit at one time or another in any debate. When they are losing the argument...when they are flat out WRONG...they whine and name call.
This country is ruled by WIMPS. Anti intellectual, sexually perverted, narcissistic WIMPS.
Both Betrayus and Crocker have very worried looks, they know their gonna lie.
I just turned on the tee-vee and turned to CNN. I saw some female representative spewing nothing but rightwing propaganda, not asking questions but no name was given. I turned to C-SPAN and saw that yep, she's a Repug; Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). The Repugs will just use this time to regurgitate the same rightwing lies rather than ask questions.
When a military officer will openly lie or distort the truth for partisan reasons, it is time to force that officer into retirement as he can no longer be trusted. No pollitical party or candidate should be allowed by the voters to politicize the military nor should any military personel allow themselves to be used that way.
The New York Times ad really hit a nerve with the Hawks here didn't it? The term "Betrayus" has been out here for MONTHS! It's sickening to watch these so called "representatives" try and bolster the obvious propaganda the general will be spewing forth shortly.
CNN just labeled Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (D)... She's a Republican
This live video (at yahoo) has been reliable so far:
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=49750&cl=93596&ch=77808
HA! Even his microphone doesn't want to help spew forth the lies! It's an omen.
I LOVE IT. As soon as the General was about to speak, they realized his microphone wasn't working. Reminds me of the lightning strike while Rudy was yapping some B.S. during a debate. It gave them more time to hand out "his" report (written by the White House)
Smack_dab @ 48:
They are given time for remarks before the testimony, this is routine and there will be questions.
These microphone difficulties are the ONLY REAL TRUTHFUL thing we will see today... it is REAL... the microphone doesn't work... that's a fact, we all can agree on... everything else will be shit flowing out of his mouth. He's a typical asshole who got us into this stupid war in the first place. What a dick.
If Petraeus had the "Right Stuff", he would not have been chosen for the job. The only point was to arrive at this point in time, where he could pull a Colin Powell to a group of cowards who are desparate to be deceived.
Just as a Colin Powell is now defined as a person who negates a lifetime of honorable service and forever dishonors his name by giving service in furtherance of endeavors he knows to be dishonorable, criminal and evil, just as a Quisling is defined as one who abets evil for personal gain, just as a Vischey is defined as a moral coward who facilitates evil in order to gain favor and save one's own worthless carcass, is a Petraeus now going to be defined for all future time as some special depth of sycophancy that enables a Big Lie whose only purpose is to facilitate great works of evil? If so, will a Petraeus act be more evil than a Colin Powell act, or just more despicable?
David Petraeus, you make your choice and then you do what you do. History is going to take on a life of its own. Son, you only get one chance in any particular event to do the right thing. Thereafter, you are judged for all time. You still have a chance to redeem yourself. What you gonna do boy?
Why do I suspect that I already know what the answer is?
I had to laugh when Hunter mentioned "we gave them free and fair elections".
What? You haven't even got free and fair elections in the USA!
Now what is this shit, passing out papers, that should have been passed out HOURS ago?
Great crosstalk on CSpan-3 right now. Two GOP reps talking about how to deal with the prostesters in the back of the hall.
"That really pisses me off. There's about 10 of them...and one will throw a tantrum and get ejected every half hour...."
Liberal AND Proud @ 46:
I know that. These people are not in power because they are clever, intelligent or particularly capable; they are in power because they are willing to go to ridiculous and criminal lengths to get what they want and because they are backed by enormous money and influence to make up for their shortcomings.
What an embarassment... no working microphones... it's like PUBLIC ACCESS T.V.
Why was Lantos the only one speaking the truth? Is it me or was this a little one sided? Someone should report to the FCC and complain about all the oral sex on tv today.
w.smith @ 49:
Gee...there's a shock.
After years of this bullshit, is anyone really surprised.
Close the lights, pack the bags. This country is DONE. George Bush has completed the neo con agenda. The country is bankrupted. Social programs will be declining. Social Security will be gone in 10 years. The draft will be reinstituted. The war in the Middle East will expand. Our influence in the world will decline.
We will be holding out a tin cup to the whole world to help the poor, destitute U.S. in a few more years. We will be looking for some other country to take over the war. The American dream of hegemony will fail. We are Rome. We are the British Empire. We are FINISHED.
Done in by the idiot son of a one term President.
The Dems speak about facts. The repigs are wearing their rose colored glasses and fawn over the "surge" and hail their savior Ronald Raygun.
Pa-thet-ic!
Lantos kicked ass. If he drank, I'd buy him a case of beer.
Dhalgren @ 58:
Yes, they hate that not everyone agrees with them. They hate that someone feels strong enough to throw a "tantrum"... I prefer tantrums to killing in Iraq.
The National Security Network video is really good. I hope it gets seen by as many people as possible.
Jano Cabrera, at the 3:45 mark, really hammers home the point that the WH has known for months, while they kept saying "wait for the Betrayus report", that it would be their own document.
The other great part is just around 4:00, when Richard Clark points out what should be an obvious point, but I haven't seen it make quite as clearly:
Without any political progress, any military gains are temporary.
Do you think someone sabataged those microphones? I would think it has to be... hopefully from one of those "tantrum" throwers...
Hey Site Monitors.
Can we have an open thread just for the hearing?
Thank you.
Site Monitor: Feel free to use this as an open thread. I'll let Nicole know to mark it as one.
Dhalgren @ 64:
Lantos is a holocaust survivor... he can see through the B.S... too bad Lieberman, (same religion), is out of his mind.
Can't wait to hear the next HECKLERS...
King of Mean @ 60:
Just like our country, it's Government, and it's military so goes the technology In D.C., it's all broken. Broken broken broken. What a fucking smoke job fiasco.
The White House is not brilliant. It isn't brilliant strategy to call anyone that does not agree with you a TRAITOR. It is UNDEMOCRATIC to behave like that. The Administration basically is a fascist regime with no interest or understanding of real democracy. In a democracy, people debate openly and in good faith, and let their argument and the faith intheir convictions rule the day. They do not engage in name calling and character assassination. That is school yard shit, and the kind of crap you see in third world parliaments.
George Bush is not a real man. He is not even a real adult. He sells himself as Mr. Big Balls all go President...when in fact he is a classic bully and a classic wimp. As are ALL Republicans...yes I said ALL...because they all engage in the same bullshit at one time or another in any debate. When they are losing the argument...when they are flat out WRONG...they whine and name call.
This country is ruled by WIMPS. Anti intellectual, sexually perverted, narcissistic WIMPS.
Well said!
Does anyone know what the general's political party is? I presume he's a Republican... does anyone know?
These hearings serve NOTHING. Political theatre. A chance for lifetime politicians to spew nonsense, to solidify their reelection, so then they can make excuses about why they couldn't accomplish what they said they wanted to do.
Pathetic. The military industrial complex has accomplished what Eisenhower feared. The reliance on money for elections has corrupted the system and destroyed our democracy.
America has been turned into a laughingstock.
He's just opened his mouth and the 1st sentence was a lie!
Oops! the above was in regards to Liberal AND Proud
King of Mean @ 73:
Yeah. He's a capitalist.
WOW, that's good news... the "military objectives are being met..."
I wonder why killing and deaths of both U.S. and Iraqis are up.... must be some kind of fluke. I'm going to be planning my vacation to Iraq now. I hope they have a Hilton Vacations timeshare there... I love dry heat.
King of Mean @ 73:
He's only been speaking before Republican events and on behalf of Republican candidates, so I think it is clear that he is a Republican. I don't see how his public support for Republican politics can lead one to any other conclusion.
Objectives will be achieved. What exactly are these objectives?
Who's going to publish the general's book? You all know it's inevitable. He'll also capitalize on the fiasco known as Iraq!
"Ethno sectarian violence". Is that a Petraeusism?
Syria and Iran have already been named as helping the terrorists.
Preparing the ground for an attack on Iran I think.
Hold onto your hats!
"non-kinetic means" = political means?
Reduce to pre-surge levels by NEXT summer? Thats a year away, alot more than 6 months. Yeah, these are his words not what bush wanted him to say. Sure I believe it.
Oh, it's all Iran's fault... I guess we should have attacked them instead of attacking Iraq... and didn't Iraq NOT have any nuclear weapons, and doesn't Iran admit to having them? And didn't Bush make some bravado statement like "we will not tolerate Iran with nuclear weapons???"
I guess we ARE going to tolerate Iran.
The U.S. IS the laughingstock OF THE WORLD...
This asshole has this rediculous looking jacket, with so many medals and adornments on it... how stupid. I know we're supposed to think someone with this fancy jacket wouldn't lie... I haven't heard any truth yet. What a disgrace.
Can't wait for the next heckler!!
we will defeat bthem in say!ten or twenty yrs, thier defeat is just around the next corner, er maby three corners to the right, the surge is a lovely thing as cheny said its in its last throws, nothing ventured nothing gained, where have all the soldiers gone long time passing , gone to graveyards everyone ,when will they ever learn , when will they ever learn?
Russ Mason UK @ 75:
You know after all these years of being lied to and played like stupid morons (The People), Betrayus could be telling the truth, but would he really be believed?? This why Cheney and Bush should be impeached. They have no credibility to speak of. If, for whatever reason they NEED to be believed they would be ignored. Just that alone puts our country in peril. A perfect example of 'calling wolf'.
Well, that didn't take long, did it? Petraeus' name is now a verb. Joins the ranks of Vichey, Quisling, Powell. Too bad. Too bad for him. Too bad for us. Too bad for the world.
reduce to pre-surge levels by next summer (and if it doesn't we'll just ask for more time)
Yes, he's going to write a book... POSSIBLE TITLES:
"Iraq--It's really a teriffic place now cause of Bush"
"Iraq on $500 a day--$50 for your hotel, and $450 for your security detail"
"Iraq--no al-Qaeda before Bush got here, lots of al-Qaeda now"
"Modern Microphone Techniques--An expert's guide"
"I'm a Republican General, Fuck You"
"The Liar's guide to Fancy Charts with Fuzzy Math"
If someone during questioning doesn't expose these lies of violence being down, I'm giving up. Someone please question him about the deaths NOT being counted.
Now he is talking about all the weapons found. Was that the objective of "losing" them so they could claim some were found?
Protesters yelling now?
Of course we have to throw them out, we can possibly allow the American people to have a voice can we.
Everything has been reduced...damn since things are going so well, it's time for us
to depart and leave that wonderfully, peacful place to the natives who live there.
What a success; in only 8 months since the surge commenced.
Uh oh...he's on Iran again..time for another invasion.
"Duty, Honor, Country".
Petraeus has just disgraced all three.
What a pathetic circus, two more hearing this week with this lying, treasonous bastard??
Lantos is gonna make his opening statements look mild when he tears the General a new one, just Lantos telling like it is makes this hearing worth watching!
Now they're evicting NON-hecklers, SUSPECTED of being friendly to the hecklers... with no trial... that's real fair...
Getting dissed by the people we're purporting to help is pretty damning indeed! Now the Iraqis will give us the boot even before the american people can impeach and give the Chimp the boot.
Paul @ 95:
Everyone "knew" that anyone who touched the unsavory position of "war czar" was doomed to failure from the outset as Bush's Second Poodle.
"Substantial progress" against al Qaeda. Wow, thats a whole 3% out of millions. Oh yeah, he forgot to mention that it was the Sunni that is getting rid of al Qaeda and it started happening before the surge and it was the Sunni that decided to do it...NOT US!
someone should stop this be-jeweled, and compromised political-general.
and ask a simple question: what was the purpose of the surge?
answer: provide security and an environment in which the iraqi politicians can come together and work out a coalition government.
question, and how did that go?
findings: the surge has been a failure.
to watch the MSM and the chattering class discuss how many nieghborhoods, or regions have been cleared (for now), how--by using skewed data and blatant lies--the surge has reduced violence (again, it has NOT reduced violence), the MSM and the war pigs claim, is a repeat of the run up to operation iraqi liberation. is all BESIDE the POINT! the only point/aim/goal was for the iraqis to come together politically. and, of course, beefing up the US forces isn't going to solve that problem. this "surge", as many of you have been saying for months and months, is nothing but a timesaver. it never had the potential to work. it was a way, and is a way, for bush to buy more time. or, to borrow bush-talk, "play" for time.
how many friedman units now, generarl GOPraeus?
that chest full of medals might as well be boiled down so patraeus can make the one final nail for the coffin to bury his integrity and credibility in.
140 battlion Iraq forces fully doing their jobs? With losses; but what are the number
of Iraq soldiers killed?
FMS? What is that?
Wheeeeee....we're using cyper-space to fight the war also?
Fourth time...Iran mentioned in same sentence as AlQudea..
Please, Lantos...call a liar a liar, a betrayer a betrayer. Betraysus has just lied to the nation, attempted the manipulation of us all. Because of that, he is not owed even the most basic courtesy. Name him for the Congressional record as the lying sack of shit that he is.
This is too much to bear. I'm outta here.
I guess since the surge has been such a HUGE SUCCESS, if Bush sends in even MORE troops, then it will be a CRAZY INSANE success. It will be such a success, SOOOOOooo peaceful, it will make an outdoor Indiana summer market seem like a war zone.
i can only watch snippets here and there (being at work), but i am getting the impression--from what i have seen--that his "testimony" is less about (the lack of) progress in iraq than reasons why iran is to be attacked....
Doggiebobo @ 103:
Good observation. I think I know what's coming soon...
I think the biggest difference politicially between Iraq and Vietnam is that Iraq is almost a total information black hole in the US. Maybe there's good independent reporting on what is going on there, but that reporting doesn't get repeated here.
How many soldiers are in a brigade?
Recommends surge level until July 2008.
IF, IF his recomendations are approved, some troops will be coming home.
Gee, this Anbar Province sounds like a frickin' paradise...
Why, Who could anticipate...
Iran invovlement
Sunni Shia
...
He must have gone to the school of Condi Rummi
King of Mean @ 112:
I've heard it's just like Indiana.
We can never turn over to Iraqi's... too dangerous.
No question about it.....bush's war in Iraq is scheduled to remain in full force and affect
until at least the Nov. 08 Election..then pass it off to the new, incoming president...
and of course blame the new admin. for subsequent failure to win.
This headline from YAHOO NEWS, from 12 minutes ago:
9 American soldiers killed in Iraq
Cannot withdraw..."centrehpical forces" will prevail. WTF
Here's the text from Yahoo news:
9 American soldiers killed in Iraq By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer
1 minute ago
Nine American soldiers died in Iraq on Monday — all but one killed in vehicle accidents in and around Baghdad, the military said.
The deadliest of the vehicle accidents, in western Baghdad, killed seven Multi-National Division — Baghdad soldiers and wounded 11, and left two detainees dead and a third injured. The cause of the accident was under investigation, the military said.
In a separate accident, east of Baghdad, an American soldier was killed and two injured when their vehicle flipped and caught fire. A ninth soldier died of injuries sustained Sunday while on patrol in the Kirkuk area of northern Iraq.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told parliament Monday that Iraqi forces are not ready to defend the country without U.S. help despite what he termed major improvements in security in Baghdad since the American troop buildup began this year.
Sunni politicians disputed talk that life was getting better for residents of the capital and blamed al-Maliki's Shiite-led government for failing to ease sectarian tension.
Al-Maliki, a Shiite appeared before parliament hours before U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and top commander Gen. David Petraeus began a series of appearances before Congress to report on the situation in Iraq since President Bush ordered nearly 30,000 extra troops to Iraq this year.
"There have been tangible improvements in security in the recent period in Baghdad and the provinces but it is not enough," al-Maliki said. "Despite the security improvement, we still need more efforts and time in order for our armed forces to be able to take over security in all Iraqi provinces from the multinational forces that helped us a great deal in fighting terrorism and outlaws."
Al-Maliki said violence had dropped 75 percent in the Baghdad area since stepped up military operations began in the city Feb. 14 — although he offered no detailed figures. Thousands of militants had been killed and captured, he added.
Despite ongoing violence, al-Maliki said his government had managed to prevent the country from descending into allout Sunni-Shiite civil war after the wave of sectarian bloodletting last year.
"We have achieved success in preventing Iraq from descending into sectarian war and I am fully confident that national reconciliation is our only way that takes Iraq into safety," al-Maliki said.
He also said his Cabinet had finalized a draft bill to allow thousands of former Saddam Hussein supporters to serve in government posts, a major demand of the Sunnis and one of the 18 benchmarks demanded by Congress will begin debate on the measure next week.
Sunni politicians acknowledged that Iraq's security forces were not ready to defend the country on their own but challenged al-Maliki's statements that life was improving.
"Al-Maliki was talking about the illusion of improvement in the security situation," Sunni lawmaker Mohammed al-Dayni. "This is just talk...All streets are blocked with concrete walls and barbed wires...You can see only few people in the streets. People are living a confused and abnormal life."
Salim Abdullah al-Jubouri, spokesman for the main Sunni bloc in parliament, said the "real solution" to the Iraq crisis was a "fundamental change in the political process," dominated by Shiite religious parties and their Kurdish allies.
Such views appear to be shared by a large number of Iraqis, according to a according conducted by ABC News, Britain's BBC, and Japan's public broadcaster NHK and released Monday.
The poll found that 47 percent of those surveyed want U.S. forces and their coalition allies to leave the country immediately and only 39 percent said their lives were going well. Only 25 percent said their own communities have become safer in the past half year.
The poll was conducted August 17 to 24 with 2,212 randomly chosen adult Iraqis from across the country. The poll has a margin of sampling error of 2.5 percentage points.
In the north, a suicide car bomber killed eight people and injured 20 others in an attack near an Iraqi army headquarters near Tal Afar, 260 miles northwest of Baghdad, the local mayor Najim Abdullah said.
Also Monday, U.S. and Iraqi troops killed three civilians during a raid in Baghdad's Shiite slum of Sadr City, police and residents said.
U.S. spokesman Lt. Col. Scott Bleichwehl said the raid targeted a suspected Shiite extremist who eluded capture. He said there were no reports of civilian or military casualties.
Residents showed AP Television News the coffins of the people they said were killed in the raid — a woman and her two daughters. Residents lifted the blanket from inside one of the simple wood coffins to show the bodies of two little girls lying next to each other.
A police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, confirmed the woman and two girls were killed in the firefight.
"Neither the government protects us nor does Bush defend us," lamented resident Abu Ali. "What shall we do?"
Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press.
Instead of having this Bush puppet testify, why can't Congress have a random draw of those who have served in Iraq come and testify. Let them speak their mind without fear of repercussion. Let them be anonymous if that is necessary to get the unvarnished truth.
Janet @ 111:
sounds like a chilling threat. i would say a childish threat, but the man is playing with lives.
"heed my recommendations, or your child gets it." -GOPtraeus
From Move-On
Petraeus will claim a 75% reduction of violence since the surge started and will use multiple cherry-picked statistics to spin the White House's case. How did they cook the books?
For starters, they changed the definition of violence:
The Los Angeles Times reports that people killed in car bombings don't count.¹
The Washington Post reports that victims shot in the face don't count.²
The Center for Strategic and International Studies reports that Shi'a vs. Shi'a and Sunni vs. Sunni violence doesn't count.³
de fachist bastard has spoken , seigh hiel you nazi cocslucker!
God bless the hecklers.
They are doing more for peace than ANY of these asshole liars we're hearing.
AQI has the smallest number of fighters in Iraq, yet Betrayus mentioned them constantly.
Pure, unadulterated BUSHit!
Freedom of speech just tossed out....NO demostrations allowed in protest to hearing.
What do they prosecute you with for protesting? Disturbing the peace, or what?
Those dressed in pink. Bravo, brave women.
Hope you like the Food in Guantanamo!
As to Iran, it would make perfect sense for Iran to work to keep us bogged down in Iraq as the US keeps making threatening gestures towards Iran. The US says it has the right to engage in preemptive war, so why can't other nations do the same?
Fanon @ 127:
disturbing the war profiteering
If the protesters steal the headlines with continued outbursts, that might be a very good thing.
Now that MoveOn has swiped my Petraeus-Betray Us analogy (it's true; I thought of it weeks before the NYT full page ad), I can only say that after hearing the general at the oversight hearing, and with reference to the White House, we should beware Greeks bearing gifts. One of the GOP lead-in prepared speech-makers characterized Petraeus as "independent," and the general himself prefaced his generally positive, optimistic report with the observation that he wrote it all himself and that he did not submit it to anyone for their approval. So what? Like Wastemoreland and Hersheybar before him, Petraeus has a lot to lose and plenty to gain by staying the course. He went on and on about military advancements and conquests, citing a slew of stats about sectarian violence abatement and so forth, but he would not, indeed could not say a single positive word about the only solution to the Iraq problem: finding a political solution. Now we will see the metal of the Dems and those GOPS willing to cross the aisle and vote for withdrawal. Want to bet it won't happen? Five will get you ten the troops stay well past the Dem inauguration in 2009.
I've listened to as much of his speech as I can. Lag is bad on some of the video streams. So I've missed portions of his reports.
His points are as I understand them.
1. Good and bad stuff has happened.
2. Progress is impossible to measure.
3. No one could have predicted that things would be as they are today.
4. It is impossible to tell how things will turn out.
5. We should continue to do what we are doing.
6. In six months, I will come back and give you this same report.
Dr. Acula @ 125:
Exactly!
These hecklers and protesters are doing a fine job spreading it out. What was that, the 4th disruption?
I'm so proud to be a liberator. The Iraqi's must be very grateful.
Samson- @ 130:
Ha! they mentioned a specific code of DC law. I am looking for it now.
When he started talking about Iran, I got cold chills because it sounded like something that could be used to justify dumping a shit load of bombs on that country. While he was speaking the crawl at the bottom of the screen said something about us building a base on the border of Iran and Iraq. Jesus Christ, here we go again.
Let's see, who's braver:
1. the heckling ladies in pink
2. Mitt's 5 sons, "serving" the country by working on his campaign
3. Just about anyone in that room wearing a suit, who is most likely either a draft dodger, OR a military service avoider
More BS...now from Crocker. Peace is on the horizon for Iraq.
Here we go again...comparing establishement of a Republic/Democracy here in U.S.
to that in Iraq....used primarily for purpose of trying to compare a time-table as to
duration needed in order to establish. And Crocker is now blaming, of course, S.Hussin
for the failure of progress.."He" was such a bad dictator that it requires much time
to undo all the bad things he did. Oh give me a break you asshole.
Weaseldog @ 133:
I would add:
7. You can trust us... we were wrong before, but we're right this time... trust us...
So the current chaos isn't our fault by destroying the total social order in Iraq and all the infrastructure but the fault of Saddam. Amazing what Saddam could accomplish from his spider hole, even more amazing is what Saddam can do when he is dead.
Weaseldog @ 133:
I'd say you got it about right.
Couldn't anticipate?
This dickhead has just demonstrated that he is too stupid to hold any rank above private.
The Esteemed Ambassador is now explaining that we went to war against Iraq, not over WMDs but to replace Saddam's government with a democracy.
He killed his own people. He killed thousands of Kurds.
We've killed over a millions Iraqis.
This is better, because Iraqis are being killed under Bush's leadership, and not Saddam's.
pissed off patricia @ 138:
Yep, read about that on rawstory.com earlier today. The base will house up to 200 troops and will be located roughly 4 miles from the Iranian border.
Hmmm...ya think Iran might see that as a provocation?
Why not have these hearings in Bagdad, show everyone how safe things are? I know why not, one word INCOMING!
I wonder if Saddam were still alive, how many Iraqis would vote to have him back and all conditions the way they were before the invasion?
I am such an idiot. I had a tiny bit of hope that Petraeus would give a fresh assessment of the conditions there without any bs from the white house. I surely should have known better.
Rand Beers is the man
now were talking ,oil oil theres the stuff bushes dreams are made of! thiers not enough hemp in china to be of use on these criminal;s!
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