The chairmen of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees condemned Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for a lack of political, economic and military progress in Iraq following last year's troop buildup.
"The Bush administration has put all of our eggs in Maliki's basket, and he's shown himself to be a political leader who's excessively sectarian and incompetent," said Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, Michigan Democrat, during a conference call anticipating Tuesday's Capitol Hill testimony from Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus on progress in Iraq.
Both senators said the goal of the surge — to give Iraqis enough stability to create their own political and economic infrastructure — had not been accomplished thus far.
Levin said he would question Crocker and Petraeus about $30 billion held by Iraqis in U.S. banks and billions more in banks around the world that should be going toward Iraqi infrastructure. He said he hopes to bring bipartisan legislation that would force Iraqis to withdraw these funds and use them for self-governance.
Americans shouldn't be forced to pay high prices for Iraqi oil used for high-priced gasoline only to see those profits turn around and sit idle while U.S. taxpayers foot the bill for rebuilding Iraq, Levin said.
Biden said both al-Maliki and the Bush administration are to blame for the lack of political and military progress in Iraq and that the next U.S. president will face a daunting task.
"I'm absolutely, positively convinced that the [Bush] administration has no notion about what to do," Biden said. "They are praying they can hold this thing together without it completely imploding to hand it off to the next guy."
Biden said he plans to press Crocker and Petraeus about what effect the Iraq occupation has on other regions, particularly along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"The opportunity costs [of the occupation] are immense," Biden said. "Iraq isn't happening in a vacuum."
— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times
Comments (3)
WHY FEAR WITHDRAWAL?
It is time to give Iraqis their nation back before too few are left to remember that most Shiite, Sunni or Kurd Iraqis described themselves as Iraqis above all else and religious or sectarian group members second�..
Posted by PacificGatePost | April 4, 2008 11:37 PM
Why are we losing American lives while there has been little to none organization during this 'successful' surge?
Why do we want to use force to push our ways on nations,who,collectively want us to leave?
Why are we paying $3.39 a gallon for the gas that we use IN IRAQ, when the Iraqi's get it for $1.38?
Posted by vanhoopcoach | April 6, 2008 1:10 AM
Stones and Glass Houses? The Senators in question are the very ones who have abandoned Americans in the USA. They want to pass a law making Illegal Aliens already infiltrated into the USA some degree of American. These Illegal Aliens, each of them, are criminals, and became criminals the instant they illegally set foot on American soil. Americans want nothing whatsoever to do with them. Americans want them out of the USA. If and as when they get to the back of the line they can stand on line in their own countries, all 200 or so countries, and wait their turn if they are ever to be Americans. Till then they are criminals, and all who help or hide them are accessories to all criminal acts of which they are guilty not the least of which is the very first criminal act these invaders perpetrated.
Posted by tucanofulano | April 6, 2008 8:20 PM