Petraeus, What the Hell Do You Mean You Don't Know?

11 September 2007

Sept 11 2007 - Like many people, I have been watching some of the members of the Senate ask questions and make speeches when addressing Gen. Petraeus today concerning the Iraq war.

My mouth dropped in utter disbelief as Sen. John Warner (R) asked Petraeus if the strategy as laid out before the Congress, Senate, and the American public makes us safer.

Petraeus said "I don't know". You read right. He said, "I don't know."

The #1 guy, militarily, over this Iraq war and he can't even tell me - as I sit in my air conditioned house feeling guilty and angry as hell about the number of troops being killed in Iraq - whether or not what they're doing in Iraq is making us safer?!

Here is an actual excerpt from the testimony:

SEN. JOHN WARNER: If we continue what you have laid before the Congress here...do you feel that that is making America safer?
...

PETRAEUS: Sir, i don't know, actually. I, uh, have not sat down and sorted it out in my own mind. What I have focused on and was riveted on was how to accomplish the mission of the multinational force Iraq.

I mean, what the hell is that?! Wasn't the entire reason for the surge, and all of this other talk about strategy and tactics, done to make us all safer?

How in the world does Petraeus NOT know whether or not what he's doing in Iraq is making America safer? Maybe he was a bit too honest with that answer. And Warner nailed him with very candid, simple, and rather civil questioning.

This point was not lost on some media today, as Chris Matthews (Hardball) picked right up on the startling admission.

Jim Webb (D), appearing on Hardball today (Sept 11), said that by invading Iraq, we have become less stable and brought greater instability to the region.

Joe Biden (D) was also on Hardball and talked, rather emotionally, about the subject. At one point, the Senator appeared to be close to tears (in a genuine way) as he talked about the men and women who were being killed and injured in this war.

Biden said the whole day proved that the two men (Iraq Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Gen. Petraeus) in charge of the policy don't really believe in the policy based on their answers to the committee.

At one point, Chris Matthews flat out asked if the Commander in Iraq "can't justify the deaths of these soldiers...then what the hell are we doing there?"

Biden, who is by this time looking down with a grave look on his face, then looks up at the camera and says in a deathly serious tone, "We shouldn't be there, Chris. We shouldn't be there now. We've gotta get out of there".

He goes on to speak about the "Fallen Angels" which are what they call soldiers who have gotten killed in this war and questions openly what do we tell these troops about the reasons for their service and deathly sacrifices.

This subject is incredibly important to many especially Biden, whose son is scheduled to be shipped off to Iraq soon. The possibility of Biden losing his kid after Petraeus has openly said he doesn't know if the war in Iraq was making us safer is like a slap in his face.

It's also a slap in the faces of thousands of people who have to grieved the loss of their family because of this war; tens of thousands of soldiers without limbs, without eye-sight, with head injuries, with PTSD and other external and internal wounds.

This is a goddamn shame.