Protesters kicked out, huh?! Wow...I gotta pick myself up off the floor on THAT idea. Funny recall about Bill Maher's "tech staff"!! ;)

I'm awfully glad you're back!

Just what I said . Petraus is contradicting his own letter to his troops and his own army manual on counter-insurgency. Just what does W. have on him anyway? Other than the ability to send him to the unemployment line and drag his name through the mud?

From his mouth to our ears-but will it mean anything?

I'm not holding my breath on the hell that is Iraq.  For all their talking and finger pointing and 'six more months,' quite frankly it doesn't mean SH** to me anymore.  Send my brother, SIL, nephew and thousands of others home, and THEN I'll give a rat's ass as to what these people say.

Hey Scott your posts might have more impact if you left them in their original German! ROFLMAO!

Dear Keith: I know you're probably going to be all over the General's report.

Please remember that our military are doing their job. That as long as our troops are in Iraq, we need to keep funding them. Senator Biden was correct on Meet the Press on Sunday in that respect.

Please also if you're going to get upset with Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and the Democrats over not ending this war, I would ask that you be equally enraged with the Republicans, whose support is so desperately needed. It is not the Democrats who want to continue this war. I bet 95% of the protestors who are going to DC on Saturday are democrats and independents. We are doing everything we can. We need the support of the Republicans.  Congress needs their votes.

Everyone is saying we cannot end this war without political reconciliation.  Where is our president, where is our secretary of state?

The troops cannot win this war. Diplomacy is what is needed at this point in Iraq.

President Bush is not going to end this war. He doesn't know how to.

What we need is for Congress to work TOGETHER, both parties. Democrats AND REPUBLICANS.

The Republicans need to tune President Bush OUT and work with the Democrats to find a political solution.  Together.

Our troops did their job and more.

Anyone who votes to fund the war will not be re-elected.

Pat, Boston, MA

I, too, blame the Republican lemmings for preventing an end to this occupation. If their children and/or grandchildren were forced to endure that hell hole, this invasion/occupation never would have happened.

Our troops have done every thing that was asked of them, and more, they deserve nothing but respect.  

I would be happy to thank them, in person, for their service once this illegal occupations is over, in the mean time, I will support them by trying to get them back home.  

Why wouldn't protester get thrown out.  They add no value to that forum.  The purpose of this is for Gen Petraeus to report to congress on the status of the Iraq War.  So protesters would only serve one purpose, that is to distract from the formal testimony.  They say how Bush has made his mind up already, but Democrats made up their mind before hearing a sentence from the report.  So give the general the respect he deserves, and hear him out.

Happy Ground Hog Day.  

General Petraeus is here sending a Prisoner of War/Eye Blink Code message to his Wife and others under his Command, stating Dubya gave assurances if he says it just like Cheney wrote it, he will be given another two pounds of decorations for his uniform.

Pat (1:59 pm post), BEAUTIFUL!! Thank you for posting this.

Off topic, but this story is just too much of a "feel good" not to share; and, I do not use the term "feel good" lightly, so I'm serious here! The gentleman featured in this story, Jim, has worked at the college where I work for a long LONG time (going back to my undergraduate days). He is a great guy, and I'm glad others are seeing how great he is. Enjoy!!

http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?s=7021144

Am I in a different country - on another planet? Our invasion and occupation of Iraq is the same now as the War of Independence for our own country? Maybe if the Germans had invaded the British to kick them out of 18th century America! This has just got totally nuts. Why are we there? Tell us its for the oil and maybe we'll agree we have a stake - but democracy - it has never happened and will never happen. (At this point I wonder if we have it ourselves) This is beyond everything - no wonder the nutters are out in force - what is there left to do - VOTE? it does nothing - just a different gaggle of geese. I hear Joe Biden yesterday (who I used to respect) saying we need to give another $50B so the troups can have some magic tanks - what we couldnt get them with the first $1 Trillion. Sorry but it is just nuts. I am still listening and it sounds like bla bla bla.  Install a democracy - it seems we cant even install a microphone!

Absolutely nothing the Generalista said is surprising.  I'd have been surprised if he'd at least spoken some truth.  The only one that did was our Representative from CA.  He received no outcries from the protestors.  BTW I am amazed those protestors made it into the chambers.

and since El Presidente got out of Petraeus what he wanted, now he can honestly say he is listening to what the military is saying.  Petraeus wrote the report himself and didn't show it to anyone..ha!

I want to take the General at his word, he seems to be a honorable man. The fact is it will take months to draw down from Iraq, and we are not leaving completely, we are going to be leaving a sizeable force there no matter who's in the WH in 2009. Reality is that Iraq can't get it's act together and Iran can't be trusted. I believe that we will have units in the Kurdish areas and towards the Iranian border. I don't like it, but that what I think is going to happen. Logistically, my understanding is it would take about a month to withdraw a brigade. The irony for me here is I believe Mrs. Clinton will win the election and with the Arabian man's traditional attitude towards women, I just wonder how that will play out.

Bill Rochester - 1:52 pm post: I totally agree.

Billy Jackson - 2:27 pm post: I agree and I would think a country would have to function as a democracy before they could hope to install the same somewhere else. Does a democrcy in Iraq (if one were ever to be formed there) mean they would have to vote in as President the person many Iraqi's felt they might like to hold a barbeque with? Maybe we could just send them GW. On the other hand if we did that the Iraqi's would certainly refuse a democracy.

M (Sent Monday, September 10, 2007 2:20 PM)

Excellent.  Deja vu all over again.

Just what I said . Petraus is contradicting his own letter to his troops and his own army manual on counter-insurgency. Just what does W. have on him anyway? Other than the ability to send him to the unemployment line and drag his name through the mud?
Bill Rochester NY (Sent Monday, September 10, 2007 1:52 PM)

Oh hell, unless he's going to run for office when he retires, and even IF he were fired from his job, General FOUR STAR Patraeus won't be hurting for anything.

He, as a soldier, believes in that what they are doing is right-that's his job.  There are many in the military that still believe we should be there-though contrary to the beliefs of some here, there a many, many more that do NOT!

I imagine that somewhere down the line he'll have his say, just like so many before him.  Call it an unethical code of ethics, but he'll stand behind the president.

BTW, your buddy on here was so inamoured of you calling him a fat ass, that he has taken that on on his new mantra:  'fat ass liberals.'  Goes to show that he doesn't have an original thought of his own.:)

Absolutely nothing the Generalista said is surprising.  I'd have been surprised if he'd at least spoken some truth.  The only one that did was our Representative from CA.  He received no outcries from the protestors.  BTW I am amazed those protestors made it into the chambers.

and since El Presidente got out of Petraeus what he wanted, now he can honestly say he is listening to what the military is saying.  Petraeus wrote the report himself and didn't show it to anyone..ha!
Laura in Los Angeles (Sent Monday, September 10, 2007 2:35 PM)


Absolutely nothing the Generalista said is surprising.  I'd have been surprised if he'd at least spoken some truth.  The only one that did was our Representative from CA.  He received no outcries from the protestors.  BTW I am amazed those protestors made it into the chambers.

and since El Presidente got out of Petraeus what he wanted, now he can honestly say he is listening to what the military is saying.  Petraeus wrote the report himself and didn't show it to anyone..ha!

Laura in Los Angeles (Sent Monday, September 10, 2007 2:35 PM)

See, absolutely nothing the General would say would please you, because you have already labeled him a liar.  He deserves the respect from every American citizen, but the extremist antiwar will not give him any respect, and that is despicable.  This a two part discussion, one about military successes and the second about political successes or lack there of.

Why wouldn't protester get thrown out.  They add no value to that forum.  Ghost of NJ (Sent Monday, September 10, 2007 2:17 PM)

Ghost -- That's right.  Get those scruffy protestors out of here -- so far away that no one knows there's a protest going on.  If you get a minute, go back and read that document -- what was that again? -- that Chris Dodd carries in his pocket but thought he'd never have to use -- oh, yeah, that ... Constitution.  Specifically, the Bill of Rights.  Specifically Amendment One -- having to do with free speech, press, and assembly.  Your glib comment goes to show how much we've forgotten since Bush took office.

Once again bush is getting what he wants.  Instead of democrates asking when we can end the war, they are talking about when we will end the surge.  The surge was only suppose to last until September.  I know the media has tapes of the US citizens being told the surge would end in September. I expect we will see them three years from now.  Like the tapes of Cheney saying invading Iraq would be a Quagmire or the tapes of bush saying Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.      

If they want this war Dubya Congress and All the little excuses they have given to play its political cards costing
American lives lost and wounded,as well as those of other nations as well as the women,men,and children of Iraq then let them bear the responsibility for those cost to conduct further operations and TAX oil imports as to not trigger inflation to be passed on at the pump to the public to pay for this insanity and to clear the deficit it has produced before he leaves.He wants his venture then let him pay for it with a TAX increase.Bring to light the money is not there for his corporate venture at the taxpayers expense.So propose a tax increase to clear up what we have already spent and pay for any further operations.See how many votes you get in Congress then?Let him and his administration pay for the mess he has caused before he slips out the back.See how important all these silly ass bench marks become then to the American public.There are several issues that really affect the public in big ways,tax and monetary increases from their pockets,changes in some moral code that people are passionate about,and the denial of their freedoms and rights which is being done now by slight of hand.So sure lets by all means have a tax increase,a draft to supply troops in fair and equitable way so some of these Congress persons as well as the Presidents brats can serve,and define by all means what threat Iraq poses to me please.And last but not least DIRECT THREATS!
Somewhere out their lurks some pissed off captain that has had a bad day at the helm of some sub say from Russia,or China,that had to much to drink,maybe his wife died and is suffering from suicidal depression,a sub armed with nukes WMD that poses more of a threat than these guys ever did.
There have always been WMD by enemies all around us.There are subs 40 miles off the cost of DC with nukes.Think there might be any nukes on those?Think they might get here very quick.Has anybody even stopped to think how flawed this strategy is,we are fighting a war on credit(like a national VISA that there is no revenue for against a non threat and we allowing our leaders(I use that loosely) to continuing to send our mothers,fathers,brothers,sisters,sons,daughters,to be killed and wounded;to kill Arabic families that they  who's land they invaded under false pretenses and some of get to be called terrorist at the pleasure of CC Dubyass to keep the eye of his and Cheney's getting us into this mess illegally.That tape takes the cake like I said where's the dude getting his alternative supplements.Disney Land?
So lets go for it give them their war.Lets see how much they really want it.Put the Mother of all Taxes on Oil imports to pay for it and the famous Iraqi Army and rebuild everything they destroyed for their lies and clean the mess up after they have left.
We can kick some serious butt in a fight,we have the finest troops in the world,but this is just plain murder for someones hidden agenda,and the lack of accountability to those empowered to to preserve this Nation and the People.Almost all of them should be ashamed to collect their pay,of course a lot of comes form other means anyway so what the hell.Their ego's and political futures are more important than your family members lives,wounds,blood,and deaths.All the medals,walls,taps,amazing graces,21 gun salutes,prosthetic devices,PTSD treatments,flag draped coffins,will never justify any of this,and if you cannot or will not stop what is morally wrong then do what is morally right and resign.
Allowing the Nation to grow it is more that some wannabe hick Texan from Connecticut's ego that faked his way into the White House.
Finally 170,000-50,000= 120,000 before the sure level.
Another 20,000 added to the original 30,000 they ask for.A draw down more smoke and mirrors.
A drawn down more DEATH!
LEAVE THERE IS NO REASON TO BE THERE FOR OUR NATIONAL DEFENSE AND BY ALL MEANS BE FOR YOU LEAVE KINDLY REDEPOSIT ALL THE MONEY YOU HAVE SPENT FOR THIS WITH NO NEW TAXES BY TAXING THE CORPORATIONS WHO HAVE PROFITED FROM IT.
I don't feel any safer America and I am not safer because of anything he and Cheney ever did for us.I am in sorrow for all those who have been wounded and killed for this insanity that has nothing to do with national defense.Get a clue and stop believing the LIE.

Did anyone really think these guys would say anything that did not coincide with king george.
Our government is bought and paid for by big oil and as long as there is one drop left in that country, we will      
not leave.

Specifically, the Bill of Rights.  Specifically Amendment One -- having to do with free speech, press, and assembly.  Your glib comment goes to show how much we've forgotten since Bush took office.
James Madison (Sent Monday, September 10, 2007 2:56 PM)

And what exactly would this protester add to the testimony?  Nothing, of course there is freedom of speech, but Congress needed to hear from the general.  If that protester continued the shrieking the hearings couldn't take place, nor would they be informative to Congress.  There is a time and place, and that clearly was not it.

Yeah, I figured.  It's all going just great in Iraq according to Betray-us.  And he's really making me afraid of alQaeda too (not).  My BS meter is stuck on high alert throughout this hearing.

What a crock.

Yeah, I figured.  It's all going just great in Iraq according to Betray-us.  And he's really making me afraid of alQaeda too (not).  My BS meter is stuck on high alert throughout this hearing.

What a crock.
Sue West Allis, Wisconsin (Sent Monday, September 10, 2007 3:09 PM)

Nice get your talking points MoveOn.org.  He did not say everything is going great, but we are making progress militarily.  That is always productive to call a 4 star general a liar and say he betrayed you.  There is no defense of that action.  If the dems continue to tie themselves to the extremists, the Republicans will be in office for a long, long time.  Grow up and try to be rational.  By the way, Wisconsin is going to lose to Penn State

I love it , watching Lantos and reading here tells us everything we need to know about liberals. You loathe the military. It is shamefull and I hope the American public realize that you guys are saying that the military is inept, uneducated , untruthful, and is incapable of fighting a war. I believe that whoever is advising Lantos on his military advice is doing him a disservice. I also believe that when this is over , Petreaus will be the winner and "W's" ratings will surge.  As I said many times before, liberals  will lie about who thry are, but if you keep pressing them  their true colors will show.  Liberals loathe the military. Period.  Liberalism is irrelavent.  

All we need is another 18 mos., and then we can blame the Dems while impeaching The Dem. Pres. for losing a won war.

ALL were asking for is only another 18 mos.

Is Bush holding the Office of the President hostage for the next person to fill that position? So, the next president has to hold onto this Tar Baby of a policy and carry it through to at least one to two years so as W. will not be seen as a co-conspirator on the potential failings associated with this Iraqi endeavor. The Marshall Plan must be seen by this administration as a quaint rendition of a pro-government policy out of touch. What corporation in its right mind would try to cooperate with a defeatist act? Bush has turned the world up-side-down because a Marshall plan must be seen as too socialistic even though it worked! Go figure!

He said exactly what everyone expected him to say.  I thought the funniest part was when he said the white house has not seen the transcript of what he was going to say until Congress received it.  He did say that he reported his assessment up the chain of command prior to the meeting with congress but the wh did not review his transcript.  I want to take the General at his word but I seriously doubt the wh would let anyone speak on this topic without knowing what they were going to say ahead of time.  It's way too big of a risk.
I hope Keith does a segment on moveon.org going over the line with their NY Time ad of General Betray-us. I want Bush and his cronies held accountable (impeached and indicted)and our troops home with their families like everyone else but that ad was completely tasteless and defeats the cause.
Skelton did a nice job as chairman.  

Billy Jackson...well done.

And we believe him because . . . . . . . . ?????
How about if Petreaus and Crocker answer those 3 question from each of those 6 experts that appeared in NY Times this am.
I would say no money until they start coming home.  They have extra now and then let Bush Scrounge for the money ---

I will start respecting General Petreaus again when he says to congress and the American public what he wrote in the Armys manual on counter insurgency:  to fight an insurgency you need 1 soldier for every 40 civilians.  To be true to his plan we need to send 650,000 troops.  Until he says that he is just spouting the adminstrations BS.    

The general DOG jumped through his rings of fire well enough.

But that BORING PONY even put Code Pink to sleep.

Brittney Spears said watching the Crocker/Petraeus Show...she doesn't feel so bad today.

Yeah!  What B.A. said! (I read it all B.A., honest!)

Happy Ground Hog Day.  
M (Sent Monday, September 10, 2007 2:20 PM)

Well done!  

I did enjoy the put-down by Sen Skelton of the GentleWoman from Florida.  The repubs called a lot of attention to the MoveOn.org full page ad being righteously indignant.

"Petreaus will be the winner and "W's" ratings will surge.".  Wow.  Larry, buy a spell check, and stop writing email while high.  

No, Larry, Neoconservatism is 'Irrelevant'. Liberalism is 'Irreverent'.

I'm watching Mr. Saxton kissing the Gen.'s butt. I guess
my comments on oil was censored.

Iraq is an example of an episode on Twilight Zone in which a captive people have to adhere to substandard postwar contractors intent upon making a profit by bringing in foreigners to construct poor or inadequate infrastructure. No running water! No electricity!If I didn't know any better, it would appear that Bush is sending this country back to the stone age while promising a better future.  I have heard of "bombing back tot eh stone age" but I have never heard "building back to the stone age". What a great decivilizing method!

well, paging general westmoreland, paging general westmoreland. i've seen THIS movie before.

OOOOO!!! Look at the pretty colors and pictures! Unfortunately, though, if it walks like B.S., talks like B.S., smells like B.S., then it's still B.S. no matter how nicely you dress it up.

I think we are missing the point. While the report from the General talks of security progress, the surge was not designed to increase security.

If I remember correctly, the surge was designed to give the Iraq government more time to get their act together. This was not additional time for the troops to increase security for the sake of security.

There has been no political progress during the period of the surge. Therefore, the surge is a failure.

I hope that Congress could read through the smoke screen of the current testimony and get us out of the new Viet Nam.

Regards,
Harvey K. Watkins

Simpliticus.  We dropped $800,000,000 worth of bombs on Afghanistan, and did $37.56 worth of damage.

Oh cripe Larry: you know as well as I do that people not supporting this conflcit, the surge or this administration can still strongly support our young men and women in uniform. You know this comment and arguement are pretty lame.  

oh, to answer the charge of some of the Meowcons that like to post here:  I used to be called a moderate, but since the narrow minded tactics of the republican party have a "you're with us or against us" policy in place, I'm now a liberal.  And by liberal, I mean I consider it my duty to objectively look for facts, not just eat the spoon fed baloney you seem to lap up like hungry rodents.  Even if you buy every new reason and revised document that they pump out, over the last few years you see them change direction several times.  I served my country in war, so don't tell me liberals hate the military.  Some of us actually put our time in, not just waved a flag with a beer in our hand and talked bravely on blogs.

Krista 4:01 post..as another one of my favorite talk show hosts, the late Tom Snyder used to say.."fire up a colortini, sit back, relax and watch the pictures. now, as they fly through the air"..

"W's ratings will surge," interesting choice on the verb there, Larry, by the way will that surge be up to 27% or 28%?

Iraq oil contract given to Hunt Oil Company.

Mr. Hunt and Bush&co long time friends.


MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!

Google: Hunt OIL Company

To my fellow posters who are right of center...

Patriotism is not tied to a political party, but rather to a country.  Sometimes patriotism means to "Question Authority", not just to blindly follow stupidity.  

I don't support bush43, or the invasion and occupation of Iraq, but I support the troops, by sending them care packages full of the things that the military should supply but hasn't.  The dumbest thing that Rumsfeld ever said, was that you "go to war with the army you have".  This "war" was elective, they should have "had" everything that they needed.  Rumsfeld certainly didn't support the troops.

If bush43 supported the troops, they would have a living wage, health benefits minus the red tape, body armor and up-armored humvees.  Better yet, if bush43 supported the troops, they wouldn't be in Iraq, dieing for Halliburton's bottom line, and coming home in body bags via Dover.  They would be here instead.  

"Liberals loathe the military. Period."
Larry, Charleston, SC
______________________________________________

Larry, go back and check out who supported our troops and who didn't with medical care and equipment when we sent them off to fight.

Check out what your Senators from South Carolina voted for. Or to be more precise, what they DIDN'T vote for as far as support for our troops. Check out all the Republicans' voting record in this regard.

Give me a break.

To you, supporting our military really means supporting President Bush's policy. Which has been disgraceful.

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