Democrat: Report on Iraq 'too rosy' (Democrats admit they won't accept success)

cnn ^ | 4/4/2008 | Ed Henry and Ted Barrett

[tobyhill]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Senior Democratic senators challenged a new intelligence report's assessment of President Bush's "surge" strategy Friday, saying the troop increase in Iraq has failed to achieve its strategic goals.

The classified National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, which was distributed to key lawmakers this week, sets the stage for the latest public progress report on Iraq that will be delivered Tuesday and Wednesday to congressional committees by Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, the top U.S. diplomat in Baghdad.

"In my judgment, it's too rosy, but there are parts of it that are not so rosy, and both pieces need to be declassified," Sen. Carl Levin said, pointing in particular to the portion of the report describing Iraq's political progress.

Levin chairs the Armed Services Committee, one of the panels Crocker and Petraeus will testify before next week.

The top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, however, said the Democrats were complaining about the report because they did not like the report's finding and were trying to "politicize it."

"Old adage from the Midwest: When you throw a rock into a pack of dogs, you know who's been hit by who hollers," said Sen. Kit Bond of Missouri. "All I can say is, the people who are bitching obviously didn't like the results. I happen to have confidence in the analysis that's now being conducted.

[Edgerunner]

The Dims can’t wait to surrender!

[Frank_Discussion]

What a bunch of hosebags.

[Edgerunner]

Too Rosy? Do they have information to the contrary of this report?

[tobyhill]

All President Bush has to do is not lose then no matter what happens the Rats will have to admit the mission a success or be the ones that fail. President Bush has the report on his side and in his term.

[tobyhill]

I believe the report will also read that 9 of the 18 political benchmarks have been achieved, 6 of the 18 have made progress and 3 has not changed. That would mean that they made more political progress in 12 months than our own congress in the last 2 years.

[peeps36]

The rats won’t except any news that shows we are making progress in Iraq. They should be thrown in jail and charged with sedition.

[Names Ash Housewares]

Good.

They will continue to doom themselves with their endless hate America, anti-troop defeatism.

[tobyhill]

You got it! They are on the right path to make it happen.

[wildbill]

It took the U.S. seven years to come up with a viable political formula for a new nation—and that was with a pretty homogenous population and with the political skills of a bunch of selfless geniuses to work out the necessary compromises.

[Vlaxo]

If the dems would just admit things where going right in iraq. our troops would be home sooner. The only life that the enemy has left over there is that of the msm.. and the american democrat.

Take those two away and there she blows. (not hilary)

[ArrogantBustard]

Do they have information to the contrary of this report?

Yep. They reached up their bums with both hands and pulled it out.

[tobyhill]

The Rats wouldn’t understand the founding of this country being they’re all from a different Galaxy.

[dead]

[MEGoody]

In my judgment, it's too rosy

Because it exposes the truth. Democrats hate truth.

[Old Sarge]

They will continue to doom themselves with their endless hate America, anti-troop defeatism.

They are simply reflecting the views of their constituents, who are the majority of the American people.

[tobyhill]

Sadr called for a massive “sit-in” today that was splashed all over the MSM but now not a word about it because it was a flop.
The MSM is already advertising for Sadr's 1 million Iraqi “peaceful” march but when it turns out to be a tenth of the ad amount then we'll hear how massive it was without the original ad amount even mentioned. Everyone is on to the MSM and Democrat game and that's why people have turned off coverage, not so much that they believe it's going as bad as it's being portrayed.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

" ... the Rats will have to admit the mission a success ...."

I used to think the same thing -- until I realized that Democrats, and anti-Americans in general use these type of goal posts.

[tobyhill]

If they don't admit it a success that it is then they may very well be responsible for the perceived failure. The Rat candidates can't very well go into office under the campaign slogan “all is a failure” without a responsibility of telling the people that elected them how they plan on making it a success. If their definition of success is pulling out the troops then they have to do it and anything short of that automatically makes them the same failure they claim Bush is. If a Rat gets elected it will be a short 4 years and people will be having such buyers remorse that they will throw them all out of office.

[Williams]

Could they be any more obvious?

IF only we had a president who would publicly denounce them.