Biden: Petraeus 'dead flat wrong' on Iraq

[maseman]

Source: MSNBC/AP

WASHINGTON - President Bush's war strategy is failing and the top military commander in Iraq is "dead flat wrong" for warning against major changes, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said Sunday.

Ahead of two days of crucial testimony by Bush's leading military and political advisers on Iraq, Sen. Joseph Biden indicated that he and other Democrats would persist in efforts to set target dates for bringing troops home.



Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20676775/

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Great way to frame the debate before the Shrub Administration gets on TV this week.

[saltpoint]

1. One notes that this remark comes from the lips of the Chairman of the

Senate Foreign Relations Committee, one of the few people in Washington who could sit across a table from David Petraeus and speak candidly and sure-footedly about the Tigris-Euphrates Valley and the attendant disaster visited upon its people by the current U.S. President.

General Petraeus does not have the benefit of a schmoozy confab with yes-man Dick Lugar. He must contend with Joe Biden, who is far more keen and fierce, who doesn't shovel a lot of crap on the subject of U.S. foreign policy. Just ask John Bolton.

Briefly put, Biden has just put Petraeus on notice that he will have to be at his best this week. Anything shy of that isn't going to pass muster.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

2. Dead being the operative word here.

3762 troops DEAD

Tens of thousands of Iraqis DEAD

And just how many more are going to be DEAD before this is over?

[maseman]

3. Don't forget

Bush's legacy = dead.

[ProudDad]

5. Don't forget

state sanctioned wholesale murder isn't the sole province of the repubs...

Clinton's Iraqi death count = over 1 Million...

Lyndon Johnson (Vietnam): about 1,500,000 - 2,000,000

Harry Truman (Korea): 2,800,000

etc, etc, etc.

The problem is not a Dem/republican problem.

The problem is that war mongers of any stripe find a willing audience and group of participants in this country...

[thetaoofterri]

4. Patraeus Has Some Hard Work Ahead of Him This Weekend...

In order to speak before Congress next week he must pry his lips off of Bush's ass!

[saigon68]

8. Yes "Puppet" Patraeus has his lips firmly locked on The Chimp's

other member

And must get back to fondling the minds of the Hateful 24% repuke sheep

[saigon68]

12. K & R

[Nothing Without Hope]

6. ...but Biden REFUSES to vote against funding for continuing Iraq occupation - VIDEO:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/09/09/meet-the-press-senator-joe-biden-will-not-vote-to-cut-funding-for-iraq-occupation/

[maseman]

7. Why would he do that?

It would be political suicide. I've said this million times. If you don't have anywhere near the votes to do something extremely controversial then you don't do it. All you'll do is give the Reich-wing a MAJOR talking point.

I agree the war needs to be de-funded but I don't agree voting for it when it would never pass (let alone the Bush veto.) I know I'll get flamed for this but politics is a game. If we want to win anything in 2008, especially the White House, we need to play the game.

[Kolesar]

9. The public is against the war, but I don't think the public has the courage to stand for withdrawl

I blame it on a three-year mind fuck brought to us by the media. The bush cult of personality

[maseman]

10. Man you nailed it Theborealavenger

You are right on. I always see posts about "wake up America!" Well posting that on DU is like preaching to the proverbial choir.

Many Americans are clearly against the war. Polls have proven that over and over. But the media and Shrub administration keep the people at bay with the millions of lies they tell. For people not as politically active or interested as we are here on DU, they hear the President say it is going well and many times go along with it.

Yes Americans need to wake up. But the media has them lulled asleep.

[gateley]

11. But Biden differentiated between

funding the TROOPS and funding the WAR. Although I was firmly in the "bring them home NOW" camp, his explanation this morning on MTP is making me question the wisdom of an immediate, no-holds-barred withdrawal. I find Biden is telling it like it is -- and he's telling the truth -- not promising an immediate solution to the horrific situation (as other candidates hint at) which I, for one, couldn't begin to know the ramifications and complications such a withdrawal would bring.

So again, he would be funding the TROOPS -- he said as long as there was one military person -- or our civilians -- on the ground, he would support them. He ALSO said, there are things that aren't worth winning for (the Presidency) over, and this is one of them. If people don't vote for me because I feel this way, so be it (I liberally paraphrased).

[ShortnFiery]

13. The ONLY solution is to withdraw NOW! There's no other SANE alternative.

But the ruling political class will stall the inevitable.

We'll decide to leave when we are KICKED OUT. And make no mistake, we will be *KICKED OUT.* :thumbsdown:

[saigon68]

14. Kicked out