Sheer: The Parade of Democratic Congressional Tourists in Iraq See Surge "Success"

[leftchick]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-scheer/the-real-iraq-progress-re_b_61403.html

The parade of political tourists to Iraq in recent weeks, during which easily impressed pundits and members of Congress came to be dazzled by the wonders of the troop surge, probably ensures that this murderous adventure will continue well into the next presidency -- even if the Democrats win.

<snip>

Other Democrats brought to Iraq for photo-op visits have similarly descended into total myopia. Take Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Calif., who is suddenly more upbeat about the future U.S. role in the region: "If anything, I'm more willing to find a way forward," he enthused. Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Fla., proclaimed that the U.S. troop surge "has really made a difference and really has gotten al-Qaida on their heels." Odd, then, that al-Qaida was blamed by the United States for that deadly attack near Tal Afar.

In the past week, two Iraqi governors have been assassinated in incidents attributed to intra-Shiite violence that is dramatically on the rise. But not even this bloodshed stops yet another Democratic lawmaker, Brian Baird, D-Wash., from proclaiming that he will no longer support measures to set a deadline for troop withdrawal, because "We are making real and tangible progress on the ground."

Contrast the rosy optimism of those day tourists with the assessment of seven active-duty soldiers coming to the end of their 15-month tour of duty on the ground in Iraq. They had an Op-Ed piece in the Aug. 19 New York Times entitled "The War as We Saw It":

To believe that Americans, with an occupying force that long ago outlived its reluctant welcome, can win over a recalcitrant local population and win this counterinsurgency is far-fetched. As responsible infantrymen and noncommissioned officers with the 82nd Airborne Division soon heading back home, we are skeptical of recent press reports portraying the conflict as increasingly manageable and feel it has neglected the mounting civil, political and social unrest we see every day.

[Cha]

1. Yeah, it's way different when

you're fighting a bullshit buSHIT war then parading your congressional ass around Iraq.

Gawd I hate these corporatewhores.

[babylonsister]

2. I'm surprised Sheer fell for this, and is contributing to this false

message. I've read and posted several articles about the spin pundits are putting on what's said by Dems. Didn't Levin say just yesterday the troops need to come home? Why is Sheer doing this?

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/08/20/levin-iraq-return/

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3465630&mesg_id=3465630