An appeal active military can sign in support of the mission
Posted on 08/08/2007 11:03:59 AM PDT by bnelson44
It appears that today is a watershed day with regard to US policy in Iraq. Democratic leaders now acknowledge that the surge is working. The only catch is, they say it's no surprise, they've known it for a while, and it's nothing significant.
Senators Durbin and Casey are in Iraq, and were interviewed this morning by CNN's John Roberts (video below). Senator Durbin made the first attempt to recognize the success of the surge and dismiss it in one breath:
SEN. DICK DURBIN: There were two important parts of this story, the military type as Senator Casey said the men and women were doing their best and making real progress. We found that today as we went to a forward base. The fifth year of the war, it's the first time we're putting troops on the ground to intercept al Qaeda. There's another side to this story the Brookings institution shouldn't miss. As we are seeing military progress, any political scene is discouraging. We are seeing the al Maliki government once branded the government of unity coming apart. We are seeing Sunnis and others leaving and not becoming the stability of this country.
Senator Casey joins in a moment later:
ROBERTS: I understand all of that. Everybody in the Democratic Party is saying the surge has failed. Senator Casey, do you agree with your colleague there are some signs of military progress here?
SEN. CASEY: Sure, there are, John. We have said in the beginning, our troops are doing their job.
Then Senator Casey complains that President Bush refuses to change course, and is offering the same old policy -- which by his own admission is yielding progress, and which he points out that he opposed:
SEN. CASEY: [continuing] The problem here is the president of the United States continues to insist on a stay the course policy, no change in direction, no sense the American people can determine there's a light at the end of the tunnel. That's why i think there's a bipartisan agreement right now to change the course. I think the president should listen to the will of the American people
ROBERTS: Senator Casey, you supported this bill to bring troops home. Have you seen anything to change your mind on that while you're there?
SEN. CASEY: No. I supported Levin-Reid and I voted initially, way back in the beginning of the year, against the surge. I think they're the right votes and continue to be the right votes. We have to make sure that the diplomacy and the political work that's done in Washington, as well as in Baghdad, what we're seeing now is the Iraqi government officials have left, we're seeing Sunni representatives have walked out and are boycotting. So the political work in Baghdad and Washington has to match the courage and the dedication of our troops. We haven't seen that yet.
Senator Casey's position--put succinctly--appears to be 'There is progress; there has been for some time. I opposed the switch to the current policy and I can't understand why the President won't change it.'
That argument won't fool anyone. Anyone with a television or internet access knows that Democrats have argued incessantly that Iraq in general and the surge specifically are failures. For them to suddenly acknowledge progress--and to pretend that they've been talking about it for a while--is silly.
It's hardly the sort of argument that will sway the American people to oppose a policy that is having success--success that seems to be recognized more each day.
Watch the interview; it runs about four minutes.
Gen Petreaus be ready to demonstrate further tangible
gains come Sept.
This is going to cause the dems to have to flip-flop YET again!
A JFnK-esque “I voted for the war until I voted against it.”
Unbelievable! On second thought, no its not.
MV
These Democrats have no shame! Harry Truman would turn over in his grave.
Its not surprising the dems are trying to do this.
Whats amusing is they’ve forgotten all about ‘youtube’ for the moment....(chuckle)
More like I have always voted against the surge but support our military efforts which are showing progress in the surge that I support..... Like....
The Al-Qaida in Iraq are not the same Al-Qaida that attacked us on 911. The Al-Qaida in Iraq are there because we went in to remove Saddam Hussein which we all said should be removed but would never have removed him the way that George Bush removed him...
GOP should montage all this Democrap and have a simple response to all this nuance nonsense that response is
HUH?
Well, it looks like Hitlery was hedging her bets if she was trying
to come off as more moderate on this area. Looks like Obama
and Edwards will get hit by some flying s*** on this one. I
rec they wear teflon suits.
Hillary vs Guliani (or one of the 4 stooges) in 08.
MV
Bump.
We are seeing the Democrat’s government once branded the government of unity coming apart.
Turban Durbin may not recall, but there once was this feller named Zarkawi...
5th year of what war? We invaded Iraq in 2003.
The problem isn’t going to be with our troops, it’s going to be the Iraqi PM and his government that the Dems are going to go after and while I hate to say it, they are correct. The Iraqi PM is a POS and needs to fall. He’s in bed with Mookie and Iran and it’s no wonder that things got so out of hand over there.
heh, good point. He’s mixing up his battlefields, but to give him some (undeserved) credit, he probably means the WOT, not the specific battlefield, when he says 5 years of war.
Casey, the representative of the brain-dead of PA
Correct, some time in March or April wasn't it?
Therefore April 2007 marked 4 years, we are now in the fifth..
They are right that there are problems in achieving a political solution. They are wrong in thinking that there must be a political solution before there can be a military solution, or that removing the ability to achieve a military solution will hasten a desirable political solution.
“Even though I voted against the surge I have supported the surge because I really believed it would work all along but my constituents would not vote for me again as I have cajoled them into thinking the surge would not work even though they believed it would work - all of this becuse I am a Dim.
Bob Casey is so freaking stupid, he can’t even come up with any better spin than that! Jeez. I weep that this moron is my Senator.
The reason the Dems are incorrect is that there is no such thing as a political solution until after a military solution is in place. Negotiation and non-violent politics do not create peace. Victory in war creates peace, by making violent opposition obviously futile.
Only a peace enforced by the threat of violent reprisal allows politics of a non-ballistic nature to proceed. For that reason, we should look at the spasmodic behavior of Maliki as temporary. Either his behavior or his person will be transfigured in the months ahead—as the Surge squeezes out the disorder from AQ, the Mookster, and his friends in Iran.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.