Not much in Hearings yet this week, however, watch Armed Services

[TayTay]

There is an Armed Services hearing on Wed that could be interesting. This is the first post-election hearing to examine IRaq and what is going on on the ground there. The opportunities for grand-standing and Armed Services Memebers to 'be tough' on the military leaders could be positively nauseating.

2:30 p.m.
Armed Services
To hold hearings to examine the current situation
and U.S. military operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan; to be followed by a closed session
in SH-219.
SH-216

UNITED STATES SENATE

COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES

_________________________________________________

There will be a meeting of the Committee on


ARMED SERVICES

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

2:30 PM

Room SH-216, Hart Senate Office Building

OPEN/CLOSED*





To receive testimony on the current situation and U.S. military
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

General John P. Abizaid, USA

Commander, United States Central Command

Lieutenant General Michael D. Maples, USA

Director, Defense Intelligence Agency

General Michael V. Hayden, USAF

Director, Central Intelligence Agency

Honorable David M. Satterfield

Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State and Coordinator for Iraq
Department of State

* There will be a CLOSED session in SH-219, the hearing
room of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,
following the OPEN session.


Dems on this Committee:
DEMOCRATS

Carl Levin (Michigan)
Ranking Member

Edward M. Kennedy (Massachusetts)
Robert C. Byrd (West Virginia)
Joseph I. Lieberman (Connecticut)
Jack Reed (Rhode Island)
Daniel K. Akaka (Hawaii)
Bill Nelson (Florida)
E. Benjamin Nelson (Nebraska)
Mark Dayton (Minnesota)
Evan Bayh (Indiana)
Hillary Rodham Clinton (New York)

**************

OMFG! This could be a friggin train-wreck

[wisteria]

1. Looks like it will be worth watching. lol n/t

[karynnj]

2. This is a real opportunity for Senator Bayh

Every one will be looking at Hillary, but she is already well known and is unlikley to ask mainly rhetorical questions designed to make her look good. Senator Bayh is placed before her and is largely unknown. The question is whether he can step up to the opportunity - especially when Kennedy and Reed may ask hard questions.

[JI7]

3. that committee is full of centrist third way types

but Kennedy, Byrd and hopefully Reed will make up for it.

[TayTay]

4. Amred Services hearing now

On C-Span 2.

Gen. Abizaid will be testifying.

Important update on Iraq right now

[karynnj]

5. I just turned it on

Levin speaking that we can't accept Bush's assessment

[TayTay]

6. What Levin is saying is the Kerry/Feingold Amendment

We need to get out. That's what the last election was about and that is where the Democrats are putting down their markers on this. (Woo hoo!)

[TayTay]

7. David Satterfield

is talking about what needs to happen in Iraq. He says we need to reach out to the former Baathists. If only Bush had listened to this in April/May/June of 2003. Sigh!

[TayTay]

8. So, when is Condi going to make her move on Iraq anyway?

Condi is the silent player now. She has a chance, with the turmoil at Defense to make a play for more power in Iraq.

Read the statement her guy from State made to the Armed Services Committee today:

Adobe .pdf file.

http://armed-services.senate.gov/statemnt/2006/November/Satterfield%2010-15-06.pdf

Hmmmm, some of that sounds awfully familiar.

[wisteria]

9. Abizaid also tells senators situation 'not as bad as

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15731613/

WASHINGTON - The top U.S. commander in the Middle East warned Congress Wednesday against setting a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, saying it would impede commanders in managing U.S. and Iraqi forces.

The assertion by Gen. John Abizaid seemed to put him at odds with some Democrats pressing the Bush administration to begin pulling out of Iraq.

Bush's mouthpiece as far as I am concerned. He is someone else who needs to be replaced. I think he is playing politics right now.

[TayTay]

10. LIEberman now covering Bush's arse for him

by getting the Generals to say how bad it will be if we withdraw.

Bastid.

[wisteria]

11. Leiberman is going to be trouble until we get at least one more

senator to defect over to the Dem side. Do you know of anyone who is wobbly?
The Repub's didn't plug leiberman for nothing. They do expect him to do some of their bidding.

[karynnj]

12. Thune followed up on Lieberman's proposal

to add more embedded troops with the Iraqis - and he was shot down. Told that the Iraqis wouldn't stand for it. It is strange that he didn't give this answer to Lieberman - the point made seemed identical.

The answer indirectly gets McCain too - in that it said the Iraqis wouldn't stand for a small addition - wouldn't that rule out a large increase of soldiers (that we don't have anyway)?

[beachmom]

13. Well, it is going to be bad when we withdrawal

Nevertheless, it's the right thing to do. It's the least bad option. But make no mistake, it's a very, very bad option. Yet that's what this president has set up for us, and we'll have to be strong enough to get through something this painful.

[karynnj]

14. Hillary is confusing

She has asked any number of questions but is not giving any chance to respond. She has asked about partition, political solution, if things are worse etc.

Answer: by Satterfield is that even Kurds don't want partition. Not practical, not moral, map can not be drawn, terrible bloodshed and misery.

Abezaid says partition won't work and the Sunni one will not be viable.

[karynnj]

15. Kennedy is up

He sounds like the other MA guy - need to honor the valor of the soldiers with the right policy. Iraqis turning to sectarian groups for services. Iraq, per the UN,is on the border line of chaos.

Kennedy says those who speak of a bloodbath if we leave - ignore the bloodbath now. Arguing why Bush can have timeline and others (the good 13) can't. Asks about the kidnappings yesterday.

Satterfield says they are reviewing strategy now. Need to look at political/military situation w/reguards to troop levels.

[TayTay]

16. Thanks Karynnj

I am at work and in and out of listening to this hearing. (I want to watch it later on.)

I really appreciate the updates!

[karynnj]

17. Bayh is pretty good

Questions if Iraq is the center of the war on terror - or whether our apponent wants us to waste our effort there rather than in Afganistan which is really the problem. He also spoke of the sectarian violence. Asks how to move the Iraqis to make the hard decisions. Asks if they can forge one country. Satterfield Answer that it will be hard - but we had a lot of difficulty and fighting after our revolution (Gee - I just helped my youngest on that period and it wasn't in her book - arguing is not shooting)

Not Kerry, but head and shoulders better than Hillary's filibuster.

[TayTay]

18. He is better than Hillary

But I still find him too bland. But he was much better than Sen. Clinton was.

[karynnj]

19. Yep and he sound soooo like he's from Indiana

(except the area near Chicago in the NW corner of the state)