What about the benchmarks?

[peace13]

Why is there no discussion about the benchmarks? Congress left Bush to grade his own handiwork and can't even be bothered to ask for the report. How do these people live with themselves? For god's sake if you haven't called your senator do it in the morning and email ten of your friends to do the same. We have got to pull the plug on this cluster *uck that is Iraq. Peace, kIm

[Igel]

1. What about the benchmarks?

The question's premature. Thw WH report, one would assume, will discuss them. Discussion of the leaks and rumors before the official report is out seems pointless.

Congress stipulated the WH report is due on or before 9/15. This they did a while back. Seems unnecessary to ask for the report before when they said it was due, or to repeat the request. Perhaps if it's overdue, they should be bothered to ask for it again.

Because of this report's timing they scheduled Petraeus for 9/11 and 9/12. Because of the date they set, they scheduled debate on the report for next week. That should include the benchmarks. Seems odd to schedule debate of a report before the report's due.

It also seems odd to ask that the WH assign somebody else to grade the benchmarks for the WH. Congress has the GAO report; they've heard from Crocker and Petraeus. Presumably they have other sources of information for evaluating the WH report. It'll also be a mistake to limit debate to just those points outlined months ago; it would show too much inflexibility.

I would have scheduled Petraeus for next week, Monday and Tuesday, with the WH report due on Wednesday. But I'm not Reid or Pelosi.

[peace13]

2. I hear you.

'I would have scheduled Petraeus for next week, Monday and Tuesday, with the WH report due on Wednesday. But I'm not Reid or Pelosi'

With Patraeus and *ush speaking this week the average joe citizen will think that the final word has come down from the mount concerning the surge and the war. It seems to me that the first order of business for Congress would have been to review the report and detail the progress that the surge has made and then interview Patraeus. I would have thought that Congress would have gathered their own facts as well to make sure that the report was accurate as presented. My guess is that the chimp would have had his speech after that. Congress has basically let the administration off the hook. Why does congress give this *rez a pass?