After Iraq Trip, Unshaken Resolve (Rep. Schakowsky met with Petraeus)

[kskiska]

Source: WP

CHICAGO When Rep. Jan Schakowsky made her first trip to Iraq this month, the outspoken antiwar liberal resolved to keep her opinions to herself. "I would listen and learn," she decided.

At times that proved a challenge, as when Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih told her congressional delegation, "There's not going to be political reconciliation by this September; there's not going to be political reconciliation by next September." Schakowsky gulped -- wasn't that the whole idea of President Bush's troop increase, to buy time for that political progress?

But the real test came over a lunch with Gen. David H. Petraeus, who used charts and a laser pointer to show how security conditions were gradually improving -- evidence, he argued, that the troop increase is doing some good.

Still, the U.S. commander cautioned, it could take another decade before real stability is at hand. Schakowsky gasped. "I come from an environment where people talk nine to 10 months," she said, referring to the time frame for withdrawal that many Democrats are advocating. "And there he was, talking nine to 10 years."

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/25/AR2007082500991.html?hpid=topnews

[rodeodance]

1. Nice article. Petraeus et al. tried to dazzle her with power points and charts.

[rodeodance]

2. rec. worth a read

[lovuian]

3. Honey you got a Wakeup call what the General is telling you

is they ain't leavin...their going to war with Iran

[Aviation Pro]

4. Next time one of my reps goes on one of their PowerPoint....

...junkets to the Green Zone, I'm going to suggest that they go off the reservation and pick at random a squad leader and a couple of his fire team leaders to talk to. They'll get the unfiltered truth then.

[countmyvote4real]

5. Betrayus presentation is circular logic.

In the second to last paragraph of this article, Betrayus is quoted about the results of a US military withdrawal: "If you don't like the humanitarian crisis, the refugees and the internally displaced people, you can't draw down. If you are concerned about these people, the humanitarian crisis, you should be for our staying here.'"

Hello? (That humanitarian concern is laughable when you consider our willful lack of involvement in Darfur.)
Anyway, all of those issues already exist in Iraq now because the * administration invaded another sovereign country and continues to occupy it for personal crony gain. (See kpete's excellent post on the Mike Taibbi article from RS.)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1663190&mesg_id=1663190

IMHO, pulling out our military occupation forces does not remove the US from any further responsibility. We must make reparations, including the surrender of anybody indicted by the World Court for war crimes in this catastrophe. Removing the US military as well as the US war profiteers from the layers of conflict unleashed by the * mal-administration will allow the Iraqis an opportunity to focus on their own opportunities.

AND we have to get our own house in order. Unfortunately, I think China owns the mortgage on our house.

Impeach now.

Cut off the funds for the Iraq occupation.

[rodeodance]

6. very good article.

[ck4829]

7. Kick