The California Democrat who chairs the House Foreign Affairs committee delivered a perfect summation of his party's position on the Petraeus report:
Our witnesses have been sent here this morning to restore credibility to a discredited policy. We and the American people already know that the situation in Iraq is grim and the growing majority of this Congress and of the American people want our troops out. ... The Administration's myopic policies in Iraq have created a fiasco. Is it any wonder that on the subject of Iraq, more and more Americans have little confidence in this Administration? ... The current escalation in our military presence in Iraq may have produced some tactical successes. But strategically, the escalation has failed. ... In Iraq today, we are wrecking our military, forcing their families to suffer needlessly, sacrificing the lives of our brave young men and women in uniform. And the enormous financial cost of this war is limiting our ability to address our global security needs, as well as pressing domestic problems such as health care, crumbling infrastructure and public education. The cost of this war in Iraq will be passed along to our grandchildren and beyond. ... We need to get out of Iraq, for that country's sake and for our own. It is time to go -- and to go now.Here's video of the Lantos lecture:
Hat-tip: Hot Air, where Allahpundit says, "This has been the only moment of true political theater thus far aside from the Code Pink hissyfit ..." (Yes, they've got video of that, too.)
-- Robert Stacy McCain, assistant national editor, The Washington Times
Comments (9)
this old duffer was half asleep at times. his accent is certainly not of the USA. Californians will elect anyone. why do they not succeed from the country. We would all be better off without the majority of them and their state which I visited once and it stinks.
Posted by anne | September 10, 2007 8:43 PM
Tom Lantos was one of the biggest Iraq war supporters in the Democratic party and wants the US to hit Iran. He's flip flopping and hope nobody remembers how he voted and talked before.
Posted by Brian | September 11, 2007 2:47 AM
Mr. Lantos has laid out the Democrat's platform for 2008. The one thing he failed to mention was how they would "internationalize" our military to reallocate the funds for supporting the platform. The Democrat presidential candidates rhetorical attempt to downsize the "war on terror" to law enforcement model is just one more indicator of how they will accomplish it.
Posted by Larry Stone | September 11, 2007 3:19 AM
Yeah... you're right.... what's a guy with a foreign accent doing in Congress anyway? I'm with you war supporters... let's all waddle down to the recruiting office and enlist. I know we'd all rather be "in the fight" than just waving our pompoms on the sidelines.... wouldn't we?
Posted by Dutch | September 11, 2007 7:37 AM
Stone has it right. This business playing policeman in Iraq will range far into the future and no one in the White House will dare to stop it, no matter what he/she is saying about it now. So long as we continue to remove war-making from the hands of our fighting men we can be assured the politicians will make a hash out of it, all at a needlessly high price. Those chanting quagmire from their lofty purch are the ones who've ensured it will become so.
Posted by Glennard | September 11, 2007 9:34 AM
So, Lantos believes that an Iraq free of murdering dictator who tortured, maimed, and killed anyone who disagreed with him, who started a ten year war with Iran that killed over a million people, who invaded Kuwait and killed, tortured, maimed, and looted that country in the few short months his troops were there, who attempted to invade Saudi Arabia, and who used chemical weapons on his own people in an attempt at genocide, stopping all this and preventing another tyrannical government from taking power in Iraq is a strategic mistake? Liberals, they never met a dictator they didn't like.
This isn't about the troops, this isn't about Iraq, this isn't about the War on Terror, this is all about Bush. Lantos and the rest can not allow a victory in Iraq as this will been seen as a Republican victory and the Democrats can not allow any Republican victories, not if the Democrats want to retake the White House. This is gaining power by any means, even if that means the end of a new democracy in the Middle East. Lantos and the rest should be ashamed of themselves for they are no better than tin pot dictators themselves.
Posted by Ray | September 11, 2007 9:55 AM
Yes, there are some of us out there that have served and continue to wave more than just sarcasm at the problem. We feel that maybe Shakespeare knew something about human nature. Dedicated to Dutch: Macbeth, Act V, Sc. V
Blow, wind! come, wrack!
At least we 'll die with harness on our back.
Posted by Larry Stone | September 11, 2007 10:19 AM
his accent is certainly not of the USA. Californians will elect anyone. why do they not succeed from the country. We would all be better off without the majority of them and their state which I visited once and it stinks. Posted by anne
"Succeed?" Given the in-depth thought that obviously went into the above post, I assume that is a rhetorical question.
Or perhaps the writer has taken lessons from from the idiot who stated: Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we. "W" on 8/5/04
Thanks for a chuckle to start my Tuesday.
Posted by Cali | September 11, 2007 10:37 AM
You have to admire these congressmen who criticize the Iraqi government for not meeting the benchmarks of building a democratic state while, at the same time, congress cannot get a budget through before the end of the fiscal year. What excuse do they have? Are there car bombings throughout Washington? Are foreign fighters holding neighborhoods hostage? Are they waiting to be rescued by the US Marines? Nope, they just take the month of August off, whether they have their job done or not. And they want to be taken seriously? Perhaps we should swap the lot for their Iraqi counterparts and then see how they do in a real crisis situation.
Posted by Jim W | September 13, 2007 2:00 PM