Petraeus/Crocker Testimony, Part II--This Time It's The House
By Nicole Belle Tuesday Apr 08, 2008 8:31am
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi had this to say after Petraeus' and Crocker's testimony yesterday:
It is clear from today’s testimony by General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker that the Iraqi government remains unwilling or unable to take the steps necessary to reach the political reconciliation needed to secure their country’s future.
General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker made it official that the Bush Administration will not reduce the number of U.S. troops in Iraq below pre-surge levels. That is not a policy that appropriately reflect the enormous costs of the war in Iraq, nor what the American people want.
The human cost of the war has been enormous, with more than 4,000 lives lost and tens of thousands injured, many of them permanently. The cost to our national security has been immense – our military readiness is stretched thin and our reputation in the world is damaged. And now, the trillion dollar war in Iraq is damaging our economy by taking us deeper into debt.
The Iraqi government is not worthy of the sacrifice of our troops or the cost that the war is having on our readiness and our economy. We need a New Direction in Iraq, but what General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker offered today was many more years of the same.
Also: The Cost of War in Iraq: Numbers That Add Up
Open thread below
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Why doesn't Pelosi count the Iraqi dead in the "human cost" of the war? No wonder the rest of the world hates us.
Pelosi and her minions will publicly blow these guys and hand them new checkbooks!!
Colleagues in war crimes should get along!!
What right does Pelosi have for saying anything. All she has to do is refuse to bring Bush's war money requests up or a vote and it will end. If she thinks those numbers are unacceptable, she needs to do the right thing even if it is politically frightening.
"The Iraqi government is not worthy of the sacrifice of our troops"
How true! But don't forget - the oil rights are!
That is not a policy that appropriately reflect the enormous costs of the war in Iraq, nor what the American people want. (quote Nancy Pelosi)
What does Pelosi care about what the American people want? We have made it known over and over that we want impeachment of Bush/Cheney and she takes it off the table. If she had listened to the American people a year ago we would be on our way to a putting these criminals behind bars. Pelosi is no friend of the Democrats.
Here we go again! Another dance of futility. They march in and tell them we need another six months. Meanwhile our soldiers fight, yet another day, in a bloody civil war. Our military is breaking, finacially were doomed, And the Iraqi ministry has billions in oil revenues. We have been played for suckers. Thank you Georgie and the 109th congress.
And....we're surprised by this?
And the Lame Stream Media did not make mention of Pelosi's statement. I commend her for her words but, given her inaction on impeachment, I'm afraid they're just words once again.
All talk and no action.
Its over. We are stuck. America will go broke and China and Russia will buy us out. Oh wait, they are doing that already.
why do i have an uncontrollable urge to yawn every time Pelosi opens her mouth these days?
It's not just that we're not holding the Iraqi government to any standards, we're not holding ourselves to any standards. Six more months, and then we'll decide. Six more months, and then we'll decide. We need a bigger majority, and then we'll decide.
Nice talk madam Speaker. However , no respect from this corner until impeachment is on the table!
pongo @ 1:
Was thinking the exact same thing, but I guess they don't count, only american deaths are horrendous, the rest are necessary sacrifices to water the tree of freedom.
Just stop funding the damn thing. We obviously have no money, our equipment is deteriorating, The troops are over-extended. But in order to do that. The Democrats have to show some spine. Opps, I forgot they have none.
The 'Iraqi government remains unwilling or unable…'
Iraq is an occupied country, the government that exists now, which has a relation to us, is not the government that will be when Iraq is no longer occupied.
I don't think I can take another day of the surge twins. There's a bs limit to everything.
Obama was right, if we can't get it right over there in seven years, why do we think we can do it in fourteen years?
let's add this to the stockpile of crap:
In Justice Shift, Corporate Deals Replace Trials
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/09/washington/09justice.html?_r=1&hp&oref...
absolutely the worst administration ever...bushco. has set the bar so low, that stories like this don't even phase anyone anymore....
bring them home!
Nancy Pelosi should NOT chastise anybody about the occupation of Iraq. She was voted into office to stop the occupation but her along with all the other democrats totally abandoned that. Some apologists say that they are not to blame because of Bush vetoing everything, but that is a fallacy. Congress can STOP THE FUNDING ANYTIME THEY WANT.
Anyway, another atrocious thing about Pelosi is that she ALSO thinks that only 4,000 troops have died in the Iraq occupation, when in reality over 15,000 troops have died as a result of the occupation.
I'm watching this show on C-SPAN right now and I'm hoping Wexler's going to blow em' out of the water.
Percentage of xoites who think we should stay one more day in Iraq: 0.
You know what? I have seen nothing on MSM about Iraq, you know, the country. Oh, their going on and on about Betrayus. But nothing about the lock-down in Bagdad. Bunch of trolls!
P.D. @ 22:
That is what democracy is all about; shutting down anti US demonstrations!
The General and the Ambassador make it sound,... Like , ..we won.
This is what always gets me about the Bush Administration, Congress and a majority of the American people for that matter. We always see Iraq from an almost colonial perspective. We say "The Iraqi Government isn't doing enough or they won't do enough to secure political reconciliation." or we say "The Iraqis forces just won't fight the Shia Iraqis. I wonder why?" To me, the answer is pretty obvious. Flip that around and put yourself in the shoes of the Iraqis. If the same thing where happening here in the United States and an outside, occupying country (and I don't care what they claim they are there for) put up a stooge Government in the White House and backed it would we view that Government as American? I certainly wouldn't. If that is the case, then why do we expect the Iraqis to support that Government that Pelosi is talking about?
Drew @ 19:
Where you getting your numbers from Drew? Are they just popping out of your behind?
I mean if it was 15,000 then where are those figures hiding, why does no one but you know that. or are you mixing the 90's Desrt Storm with the 2003 blunder.
They want the troops to remain in Iraq so later sayyyyyyyy in August? September?...near the elections??..when Isreal blows Iran to hell,,we can send in our troops to help clean up...oh and yes ..bring Democracy...get ready people a Coup is coming...
Joe O. @ 25:
I take serious exception to your comment! The word "almost" does not belong!
Do these jerks get sworn in? Does it mean ANYTHING to these God fearing christians when they are sworn in? Or are they under some executive order to freely lie to the public, for the good of the republic, of course.
xoites defends Constitution @ 28:
Agreed. My mistake. I guess I was hoping that there are some that don't hold that colonial perspective. Sadly, it is few and far between.
A wee bit off topic but telling. I just saw a clip on fox of McCain being interviewed and he was talking about Iran. He said, they continue to talk about their nuclear (pause) I forget what it is but......
He's concerned about Iran's nuclear something but he can't remember what it is that is?
Your right Bob, I remember when Bush was sworn in. He place his hand on a bible and swore to abide to the Constitution. Then spent the last 7 years slowly destroying it. Aren't our leaders great!
Shut up Nancy, and do your Constitutional duty: IMPEACH
Betrayus said he could not yet "see the light at the end of the tunnel" regarding reaching certain objectives in Iraq. He failed to mention that he thinks George Bushes rectum is the tunnel and that he has his head so far up it currying favor, he'll never be able to see the light.
This hearing will be on CSPAN at 1:30 pm EST.
Rep. Wexler actually emailed thousands of Americans asking what questions we would like for him to ask. His questioning of Crocker and Petraeus should be particularly riveting.
What a shame nothing will come of it.
Patricia, The man is a fool. He if wins the election. We can kiss our collected asses good-bye.
Tsk tsk. You're all forgetting that we were assured by the Politburo in LA a few months ago that Nancy was not going to authorize another dime for the war.
Oh, wait...
OK, that didn't work out but WILL work for sure is another sternly worded letter to Duhbya and "Dick". You go Nancy!
None of the cable shows are airing the hearings here right now, not even c-span. Maybe they are having mercy on us.
There were a couple of questioners I did want to hear this morning. Ike Skelton is one hell of a smart man when it comes to military stuff. He had polio as a kid and couldn't join the military so he spent his life reading and learning all about it. In one of the books I read about the Iraq invasion the author said Skelton was the one to go to if you wanted information about battles and the military.
P.D. @ 36:
I agree! His mistakes could be deadly.
♣Bangkok Bob♠ @ 26:
The US military does not include soldiers that have committed suicide, they do not include those soldiers that have been mortally wounded in Iraq and shipped out to bases in Germany and elsewhere where they have later died.
That 4,000 number is the number of soldiers that have died IN Iraq.
A number of investigative reports have shown this. One of them is CBS.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/oct/29/iraq.suzannegoldenberg
http://www.atheistagenda.org/node/733
http://welttag.blogspot.com/2007/11/15000-soldiers-kill-by-irak-war.html
marko @ 2:
Pelosi's cleared the impeachment table and stacked it with cash.
You know, if you're kid spends too much time and money at the mall, you ground him, and take away his credit card or allowance. So why can't Pelosi be a good mother and do the same to the shrub?
Sorry, but Pelosi has NO credibility in her anti-war rhetoric. You can't be against something on one hand while you continue to pay for it with the other. You can't stand up against Bush as the bad guy when you are helping him do bad things.
I had high hopes when we put the Democrats in charge of Congress, but those hopes are entirely gone. They have done little of value, and NOTHING of value regarding the war. When Pelosi decided that impeachment was "off the table," she decided the Constitution was "off the table," too. She deserves to lose her career at the next election--not quite a war criminal, but she's definite sympathizing with America's two top enemies: Bush and Cheney.
Impeach them all! Kick them all out of Washington and start fresh!
I'm sorry, but Pelosi is tainted by her refusal to bring Bushco to account for their crimes. She's too deeply complicit for her posturing to have any credibility. Until she decides to fulfil her oath of office and her duty to the Constitution she needs to STFU.
This is how I bet things are actually happening in Iraq:
*Iraqi boys are playing soccer on a street when an Iraqi or U.S. patrol drives by and the U.S. troops in that patrol stop to talk*
U.S. soldier with Iraqi interpreter: Hey boys, everything all right here? Looks like a great game.
Iraqi boy: Hi, ya we are having fun do you have any candy?
U.S. solider with Iraqi interpreter: Sure! Here ya go!
*Soldiers continue patrol and the boy runs to get his cell phone. Boy calls nearby fighters*
Iraqi boy: Hi, a patrol just drove by. There are about 2 APCs, several HUMVEEs with heavily armed soldiers and traitors coming your way.
Fighter: Could you identify the weapons?
Iraqi boy: M-16s, M-4s, AK-47s, and maybe an AT-4 plus .50 cal. machine guns mounted on the vehicles.
Fighter: Thanks, keep an eye out as there are other traitors watching.
It is this type of scenario that Petraeus will never report and I bet similar events happen many times a day in Iraq.
Was this her "sternly worded letter" ? shrub co. must be reeling. Hey nancy you might want to mention your part in this continuing atrocity Mz. "impeachment is off the table". Thanks for nothing you ineffectual door mat.
shut up, nancy. you are complicit in these crimes.
what are you going to do about it nancy? nothing is what you're going to do about it.... time for you to stfu!
I once had faith in Pelosi. Yeah, and I also thought John Kerry would win in 2004. Now who is the fool?
CONGRATULATIONS, X-MAN!!!!!!!!!!!
From an admirer!
If I hear the words 'New Direction' again from the Dems, I think I am going to puke. And I am a Dem. What is next, a stern letter from Reid?
here's what we need Nance. We need a TRUE opposition party. One that will call out the war criminals for what they are and prosecute them to the full extent of the law.
Yeah via, Reid shows his nerve with a strongly worded letter! Now that's Balls! Useless, aren't they?
Watching Bush now. He's signing the "Second Chance" Bill. How about "Help Americans hold on to their Homes" Bill?
Pelosi's been sounding more like the progressive we used to know.
Guess Cindy Sheehan's keeping up the heat and letting Ms. Nancy know that her congressional seat isn't safe, either. San Francisco was the first city in the nation to pass a resolution against the Iraq war and everything Nancy's done since then has been directly against the wishes of her constituency.
Well gee Nancy, if ONLY you had some sort of power, some sort of remedy, some influence, to be used in an effort to change the direction of the war you so detest. Of course, you DO have that power: you simply are too scared and selfish to use it, lest you lose your precious position. Sickening nonsense.
eh OT but got tired of waiting for an open thread :D
Though this was kinda funny
Hillary says Memphis National Champ Despite KU Having More Points
Nancy's brother Tommy D'Allessandro III was the mayor of Baltimore some forty years ago.
He hid in his office for 8 years.
It's genetic.
It's truly depressing, the number of people on here who just keep screeching for impeachment without actually realising what the process would entail, or what the stakes would be if the Senate chose (as they likely would) to acquit Bush and/or Cheney.
Let's lay it out really simply. Even if they brought articles of impeachment against them on the day they were sworn in in 2006, the legal maneouvering involved would mean that even if successful and the Senate convicted, their removal would be in the last few days of Bush's term. It is simply too late now.
Secondly, the Senate is much more conservative than the House and you can bet your bottom dollar that with Lieberman holding the casting vote, the Senate would acquit. If that happened it would leave Bush and Cheney legally vindicated. Think about that for a second.
Everyone seems to think impeachment is something that is over quickly - it isn't. People remember Nixon's humiliating resignation, but that's the point - he resigned and was never impeached. Impeachment is what happened to Bill Clinton and it took ages, plus a committed group of GOP hitmen agitating for his impeachment since trhey day they arrived in office only two years into his term!
Drew @ 40:
Thanks Drew
We're looking at the face of a man with no personal integrity.
And isn't that one of the saddest things an individual can know about themselves?
*
Drew @ 40:
Thanks for the links Drew, of course your right. I just wanted to know where you got the numbers. This blog looks foolish if we don't put up links to back what we say.
marko @ 2:
Pelosi might as well walk a wheelbarrow filled with cash in there - park it in front of him and fling armload after armload of money at him.
Someone should do a commercial with exactly that scene depicted in it.
*
Jesus Bangkok Bob, That is truly depressing. What a tragedy.
Drew,
Do you honestly think it would be beyond Bush to keep the military there even if Congress cut off funding? Remember that the corporations have their own private military in Blackwater.
"It is clear from today’s testimony by General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker that the Iraqi government remains unwilling or unable to take the steps necessary to reach the political reconciliation needed to secure their country’s future." Nancy Pelosi
Nancy should apply her empty rhetoric to herself. If she is unwilling or unable to take the steps necessary to impeach Bush and his war-criminal cronies, then she needs to step down. The Dems are SO gutless; they seem to like to live up to what the Repugs say about them.
JPsy @ 59:
Thank you. You explained that very well and succinctly. All if us would like to see Bush out, but we will just have to wait until 2009.
JPsy @ 59:
You seem to forget that impeachment is not a political remedy to an electoral mistake -- it's a LEGAL remedy. The law doesn't wait. If they are under impeachemnt they day they leave office, they are ON FUCKING TRIAL. That is what we are waiting for. The rule of law to be re-asserted.
And Pelosi has had multiple chances to yank a knot in this arrogant fuckers' tails by simply ending war funding. Hasn't happened.
SHE ISN'T DOING SHIT. And I'm so sick of watching these same lying assholes parade the same asshole lies in front of the TV cameras every six months that I want to punch someone.
I wish the Democrats would remember that the situation in Iraq is OUR fault. I object to Pelosi's comment that the Iraqi government isn't 'worthy' of our sacrifice. Maybe the government isn't, but the people are. While I totally objected to the war and I object to just about everything the Bush administration does, we can't forget that we were not dragged into this conflict; we started it. So it is our responsibility to repair it. Maybe a withdrawal is the best way to start the healing, but the costs are just starting to roll in. We'll be paying for this for years to come and we should too. We destroyed their country and we can't forget that. And as much as we want the troops home and the violence to stop and the costs to go down, we have reparations to pay. Germany only just finished paying reparations for WWII so maybe in 60 years we can finally be done paying Iraq back for the injustice we inflicted on them.
The next prez has some fuckin mess to clean up
Lucy @ 69:
You can't say we if you were not involved in making the decision to invade Iraq. I was not involved, was against it from the beginning and knew it was about oil.
slippy hussein toad @ 68:
And what good would that do? The penalty for being convicted of an impeachable offence is removal from office. They're already out of office.
Again, even without the power of veto, do you think Bush is beyond forcing the troops to stay there even after funding is cut off? The cries from the Right-Wing Noise Machine saying "The Democrats Have Abandoned The Troops!" would be going 24/7. The whole situation is a massive Catch-22 for this session of Congress - they simply don't have the numbers in the Senate to behave aggressively this time out.
Cutting off funds now will do nothing to stop this war. If dems would try to impeach shrub now, McCrazy will be the next president. Dems have never been in the position to realistically do either of these two things. Their only hope, is to gain more seats in the house and senate, and win the white house. Maybe then, if the public holds them accountable, will we see justice done to the facists of the bush admin.
JPsy @ 72:
To answer your question of "what good will that do?"
Well, it will send a message to America, the world, and present/future politicians. No, you can not lie about a war, perpetrate a false-flag terrorist attack, torture people, suspend habeas corpus, spy on your citizens, steal elections, follow an illuminati agenda, etc.
It isn't simply about removing them from power, it's about sending a message and setting a legal precedent. If nothing is done, we will have dictators from here on out.
SassySandy @ 67:
Unfortunately this is the truth.
♣Bangkok Bob♠ @ 26:
The official count consists of US Military Personnel that actually died in Iraq.
If they are still alive when the chopper leaves the ground, then they are counted as having died in Germany.
Adding in the deaths reported at Walter Reed gives us 15,000.
Joe O. @ 45:
Except that we've heard testimony that our soldiers don't talk to the locals anymore. They speed through towns, ramming cars our of the way and running over pedestrians if they are too slow.
Our soldiers aren't safe in public in Iraq.
Frank Dufek @ 74:
Well good, we'll send a message to the world, and we'll end up with four more years of the same shit in McCrazy. Then we can have this same debate all over again, by trying to impeach McCrazy.
Pelosi is going to blink herself into a stooper at these hearings.....then give them all of our tax dollars and the blood of our soldiers they ask for.
Frank Dufek @ 74:
Ah, I see I'm dealing with one of our saner posters here.
So it would appear that you believe impeachment hearings will vindicate the 9/11 Troofers and prove the existence of the Illuminati, and that's why you'd rather spend millions of dollars on that rather than trying to repair the damage that the Bush Administration has done?
I must respectfully disagree.
JPsy @ 72:
No, Impeachment is like an indictment. It doesn't remove a person from office. but it opens up the process to allow this procedure.
If Bush were impeached for High Crimes and Misdemeanors, then he could face trial on these counts after being removed from office. Lesser men could face execution if convicted of the crimes that Bush has committed. If we actually were a nation of laws, he'd be facing life in prison by now.
Dr. Acula @ 75:
Nope, expect a false-flagger or Iran invasion this summer. Bush ain't going NOWHERE. Call me negative, call me insane just don't say I didn't warn you. I'm not saying this based on some fictional idea either, there are Congressmen, jorunalists, scholars, etc. who all share the same fears that I do.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/24358
Yes, these same stories were around for the 2004 election. The only difference now is that there is no second-term to quietly steal. This time it will have to be a bold takeover. Be prepared.
The WTC attacks were not false-flag, and the worst they could do to Iran is bomb them - there simply aren't enough troops for a ground invasion.