Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

jerry/corpus christi texas — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:28:47 GMT

Now we come to a new meeting....

And this time Hillary Clinton will play the part of being unbelieveable.

Hillary Clinton
A liar for all seasons

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

Paul Miller, Woodbridge, VA — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:33:17 GMT

Ugh. The Armed Forces and Foreign Relations Committees should rule that current presidential candidates not attend the hearings.

For that matter, no politicians should be allowed to talk. There should be a narrator, to whom questions of 150 words or less are submitted.

Few things are more embarrassing than watching hearings in which committee members think the purpose of the event is for them to talk rather than listen.

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

Steve A Jonesboro IN — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:36:19 GMT

What exactly is "success" in Iraq?? Exactly how much is it going to cost in American lives and American taxpayers money? We as Americans have a right to know!

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

Joe Einloth — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:43:42 GMT

Three of our guys get killed in the supposedly secure Green Zone via rocket attack? We can't even hang our hats in the Green Zone? Senator, I would respectfully submit that any "turnaround" wasn't for the better!

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

Lisa, New Britain, CT CT for Change! — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:50:35 GMT

I can't believe this is such a mess and we are still in it. I can't believe that the sinking feeling I had in Nov/Dec. 2000 (I remember it like it was yesterday) has been fully realized in the mess George Bush has us in today. I wonder how those Supreme Court justices that decided for Bush feel now.

I don't believe we have a right to quest for victory in another country's civil war. We need to get out of there period. I will not vote for anyone who doesn't understand that the very first priority facing him or herself is to come up with some sort of reasonable exit strategy. We never should have gone there and we shouldn't be there now.

Obama 08

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

Julie in VT — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:00:13 GMT

Please note that every time Lieberman or Lyndsay Graham gets airtime on TV, they bring up attacking Iran. BEWARE folks, the Bush neocons are STILL at it and STILL determined to "protect Israel" at ANY cost.

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

Diane from Illinois — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:01:17 GMT

I, for one, would like someone to ask General Petraeus to define "success" in Iraq. I think the American people have a right to know how it is defined. If it can't be difined, then he needs to come up with a plan to being withdrawing troops....not 10 years from now, but in a reasonable amount of time. One of the 3 senators quizzing him this week will be his new boss in a few months and 2 of the 3 want to begin withdrawing troops. He can either answer now or in November.

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

Class Warrior, D.C. — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:11:47 GMT

I hope one of the three has the intelligence to ask why Betrayus and Crockosh*t think the Surge has worked when its raison d'etre was to give the Iraqi gov't time to actually get something don---which they HAVEN'T!! 400 American kids have died during the Surge, so that the eternally bickering/vacationing Parliament could...eternally bicker and vacation! That doesn't sound like a big success to me, and I hope someone points that out to the Designated Liars when the circus comes to town.

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

Carmen Colorado — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:12:37 GMT

They both are Bush people and will say what Bush wants them to say and that is " we have success" and meanwhile youngmen and women are getting killed and the poor people from Iraq are still unstable. Bush and Cheney have "success" they are making money and they are not having a hard time making the mortgage, or medication payments, I could go on, but this administration has done more damage and it will take years to get this cleaned up.

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

Steve Real, Columbia, USA — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:17:09 GMT

Nothing to do to save his life
call his wife in
Nothing say but what a day
how's your boy been
Nothing to do, it's up to you
I've got noting to say but it's O.K.

Good morning good morning
good morning a

Going to work don't want to go
feeling low down
Heading for home you start to roam
then you're in town

Everybody knows there's nothing doing
Everything is closed, it's like a ruin
Everyone you see is half asleep
And you're on your own, you're in the street

After a while you start to smile
now you feel cool
Then you decide to take a walk by the old school
Nothing has changed it's still the same
I've got nothing to say but it's O.K.
Good morning good morning
good morning a

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

MK,MO — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:20:45 GMT

the u.s. can stay in iraq forever, but there will never be 'peace' or 'victory', the people of that region have always fought their religious wars, and always will, it is what they believe they were meant to do. we should stop trying to occupy their country and let them fight in peace.

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

Dave, Tn — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:21:55 GMT

What exactly is "success" in Iraq?? It will look just like success in Afghanistan. The war both democrats claim they want to fight. You can't claim to understand that for one and not the other.

Well democrats don't seem to have that problem.

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

donna, pgh., pa. — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:35:24 GMT

"sacrifices for the rest of us"....

Senator McCain, what does a civil war in Iraq have to do with 'us'?

Or are you referring to GW Bush's warning to Saddam, upon the eve of our invasion, stating, "....and don't you dare burn those oil fields". Anybody with a brain knew what his objective was, without seeing the intelligence report.

Pulling for Obama '08

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

llmahan — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:35:48 GMT

Paul Miller: "Few things are more embarrassing than watching hearings in which committee members think the purpose of the event is for them to talk rather than listen."

Well said! Great post. I've often wondered why congressional committees invite people to testify when the committee members end up grand standing and doing all the talking.

Let's hope they let Gen. Petraeus talk. Our country needs to hear what he has to say...not that he should get a free ride. There needs to be tough questions...but then let him answer.

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

Curt, NJ — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:37:16 GMT

Has McCain been reading the news lately? I think the events in Basra prove the success of the “Surge” was an illusion. It appears Iran has more influence among the Shiites then we do.

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

Gary Schear, Bozeman Montana — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:38:46 GMT

“But there is no doubt about the basic reality in Iraq: We are no longer staring into the abyss of defeat, and we can now look ahead to the genuine prospect of success.”

NO! No sir!
NOT with my children!
NOT with my grand children!
NOT with my tax dollars!
5 years, 50 years or 500 years, when we leave it all falls down. It all degenerates.
Mr. McCain, while you were in Prison in Hanoi this country learned or should have learned that you cannot project power 10,000 miles from home and expect to effect lasting change in a country where you are the foreign invader. They have nothing but time and will gladly spend 1000 years fighting people who DO NOT belong there.
Ask Võ Nguyên Giáp, ask Hồ Chí Minh, ask George Washington, ask the mujahedeen how it went with the Russians.
Americans are apparently like Ducks. We wake up in a new world everyday and gleen nothing from our past experience or the experience of those around us.
God Bless America!
Land of the willfully ignorant and home of fatal hubris.

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

R.Merrell — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:39:19 GMT

McCain, Lieberman and Graham will present the same dog and pony show they've been rehearsing and trying to sell for the past 5 years. They cannot and will not face reality about Iraq. McCain once again drags out the "success is right around the corner" buzzwords so popular with Republicans going back to Vietnam. Then he has the audacity to say "Iraq also will need more money and aid for reconstruction" about a country that has huge oil revenues and reserves, which isn't spending those monies but instead is letting the U.S. foot the cost. And then he prattles on and on about earmarks here in the U.S., voicing his opposition to any government involvement in U.S. healthcare, and generally telling U.S. citizens they're on their own. In his view, the U.S. government has one overiding purpose: War and propping up the Iraqi government to the tune of billions of dollars - indefinitely. It's nothing but a continuation of the Bush agenda.

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

Peoria, IL — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:44:50 GMT

Will there be Freedom of speech in this discussion? or

would that be too 'Unpatriotic'

I'm guessing the Generals want to keep their jobs & will repeat the BUSH line (McCain on the sideline with Poms yelling Rah, Rah, Rah).

Bush Answer to our Energy problems: Lets fire up the Constitution & the Bill of Rights (cleaner than Coal!).

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

John B, Des Moines, IA — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:48:57 GMT

This time around Congress and the American people will have to judge Petraeus' testimony without a National Intelligence Estimate because the Administration chose to put that information into a classified "internal memo" instead. It doesn't take a genius to figure out this information would have been summarized publicly if ANYTHING in it were positive.

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

Ralph, TN — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:52:41 GMT

Dave from Tn is confused...the wars in iraq and afghanistan ARE NOT the same thing...the bushies would like more than 33% of us to believe it to be so...quick primer for the "Daves" of the world...

Afghanistan, home to the taliban, supporters of al queda who attacked us on 9/11...

Iraq, a boneheaded mistake by the bushies to remake the middle east...

got it dave?

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

Houston — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:58:04 GMT

As the missiles fly into the Green Zone and Baghdad once again is burning, McCain and Petraeus are going to claim everything would be just fine in Iraq if it wasn't for Iran. They're going to make the ludicrous argument that Iran, the ally of Maliki government, sent troops into Basra to help the Sadrists who are fighting the Iraqi government.

The truth is just the opposite: the truce between the government and the Sadrists was brokered by the Iranians because they have no interests in seeing Iraq embroiled in a Shia-against-Shie civil war.

But we're not going to get the truth from McCain, and Petraeus or from the media. Petraues is going to blame Iran for everything that's going wrong and the media will credulously accept it.

The only real question is whether McCain will get to start abrand new war with Iran after he's president or Bush will start it before then, leaving McCain to "stay the course" after Bush leaves office. And the course they're staying is one that could lead to World War III.

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

Terry, Disabled Vet, Des Moines, IA — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:07:23 GMT

Get ready for the big answer to drawing troops out of Iraq. It will be a nutshell game. The surge worked for all intsense and purposes, but the Iraqi's did not live up to their end. If I move troops out of Iraq and into Afgahnistan then I have drawn troops down in Iraq but in reality none have gone home. The other side of the coin will be can't move troops due to the new surge of violence in Iraq. Must add more troops to the fire. Of course most of what I have written is sarcastic. The MILITARY CAN NOT REBUILD A COUNTRY POLITICALLY. Time to get out and let them fight their differences. No this is not a coined cut and run. We can not continue this pace with the current strength of military and buying ammo from China.

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

S.B. Stein E.B. NJ — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:54:07 GMT

There are going to be lots of questions about how the surge is working. I honestly think that it is (or was) part of the reason for the calm that we heard about in Iraq. The problem is that there is little advancement of the politcal solution; the Iraqis have done squat. Once the Iraqis can resolve several issues (one of which is the Sunni-Shia divided; good luck on that), then there will be some great level of progress and enough for us to leave. I just don't think that is going happen in the next few years.

To Julie of VT, if you don't understand that this was not done at the prompting of Israel, and that Israel is the only true ally we have in the area as well as the only democracy in the Middle East, then you haven't looked at the area very well. We share many values with the Israelis like we do with the British and French.

Iraq politics: Here comes the circus

Julie in VT — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:37:50 GMT

SB Stein EB in NJ (where I grew up!) - I can appreciate your point of view, but sir, I'm sure you realize that yes, there is a strong contigent of neoconserative pols who're deeply committed to AIPAC and Israel and they believe that the only way to protect Israel is to maintain a strong, military presence in the Middle East. From your words, I would surmise that you approve of this. I, on the other hand, believe that our one-sidedness has been detrimental in more ways than one. Until the Israel and Palestine conflict is resolved fairly and peacefully, nothing substantial will change. We must, however, get OUT of Iraq and stop our warmongering in the region.