Sen. Levin: Troop buildup failed because no political reconciliation

[sabra]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON — Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said today that the U.S. troop buildup in Iraq has failed because it hasn't achieved its primary goal of sparking political reconciliation among that country's rival sectarian groups.

His pessimism was shared by senior Republican John Warner, who said the war is still not going as well as hoped. The two senators spoke at a hearing on the Pentagon's $588.3 billion budget request for the 2009 budget year, which begins Oct. 1.

Testifying were Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Gates said today that the top military commander in Iraq is not the sole adviser on the war and suggested that President Bush this year will be confronted with competing views on what to do next.



Read more: http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080206/NEWS02/47079056/-1/NEWS04

[Tempest]

1. The Kurds threatened to pull out of the government

If the proposed decrease in their oil revenues is approved.

It's going to get interesting over there.

[Nickster]

2. I just love this quote:

"His pessimism was shared by senior Republican John Warner, who said the war is still not going as well as hoped."

Not going as well as he hoped??!! How much longer are you going to wait before you decide it's wrong to stay there, Senator Warner?? How much longer? The troops are there with no plan, just biding their time. No plan, no troops fer cripes sake!

[DCKit]

3. Thankfully, Warner is among the "old men" retiring this cycle.

What is it with old white men and wars? We need to stop electing old people to federal office, get rid of the ones who are currently serving.

We also need to stop considering anyone who used deferments to avoid service in Vietnam. They knew they didn't want to go to Vietnam and probably why they didn't want to go, yet they seem to have no problem sending the next generation into conflicts begun, not because there was any immediate threat to the U.S., but because they wanted them. The Iraq invasion was in the works for over twenty years and only a neocon wet dream, until Congress let them do it.

We need to re-balance our representation by electing educated, informed people who know, in their bones, that war is not to be taken lightly. People who will act with conviction and far more cynicism when presented with false intelligence and rhetoric, demanding hard facts and original documents instead. Our economy is crashing down around our ears, we're involved in two illegal military incursions we can't afford, the Constitution is being destroyed, the administration wants to spy on citizens, yet Congress is holding hearings about steroids in professional sports, passing legislation to honor of notable Americans and arguing about how much cover to provide to the massive and politically influential corporations who knowingly broke the law in order to preserve and expand their government contracts and political influence.

Chickenhawks, neocons, whatever you call them, are cowards on a personal level, but they are more of a danger to the U.S. than Osama ever was. Were it not for the training and arms provided to Al Qeada by the U.S. and our ongoing interference and presence in the Middle East, the U.S. would have been no more than a blip on his radar. He would instead have concentrated his efforts on overthrowing the corrupt and oppressive regimes of his homeland. Instead, he attacked U.S. and his existence and actions have provided sufficient cover for the neocons and their corporate buddies to empty the treasury into their own pockets while, simultaneously, turning the U.S. into a fascist state. But only because Congress fell for it and gave the neocons free reign and a blank check.

We all need to take a long, hard look at our current representatives and decide if these are the people who best represent our interests. Right now we, especially as Democrats, have the opportunity to campaign for officials at the local, state and federal level who can change the current political climate and provide a pool of competent leaders far into the future. If we don't take full advantage while the Republicans are demoralized and confused, we may never again have the chance.

[Deny and Shred]

4. Kudos to Carl

BushCo has continually altered the notion of success in Iraq, gradually lowered the bar to something that seemed achievable. The MSM just goes right along with it, never reminding the Admin of their former goals, merely embracing some new idea. It's good to see Sen. Levin reminding them what their promised vision of success used to look like.