The Captain Summarizes the Five Myths of Harry Reid
April 25th, 2007
Captain Ed has done some research on Harry Reid and has put them all in one easy post to read.
These have floated in and out of the blogosphere in various forms, but I thought it would be useful to CQ readers to see the counterarguments to Harry Reid’s assertions in one easy format. I asked for some research from a friend connected to Capitol Hill on rebuttals, and he put together the resources on this. Enjoy.
Written by JeanetteMYTH #1:
General Petraeus Says The War Is A “Lost Causeâ€SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): Gen. Petraeus “Told” Our Troops That “They’re Fighting For A Lost Cause.” CNN BASH: “Is there something to that, an 18- and 19-year-old person in the service in Iraq who is serving, risking their lives, in some cases losing their life, hearing somebody like you back in Washington saying that they’re fighting for a lost cause?” REID: “General Petraeus has told them that.†BASH: “How has he said that?” REID: “He said the war can’t be won militarily. He said that. I mean he said it. He’s the commander on the ground there.” (CNN’s “The Situation Room,” 04/23/07)
FACT:
General Petraeus Sees “Positive†Signs in IraqGEN. DAVID PETRAEUS: “While It Is Too Early To Judge The Success Of The Surge And The Emphasis On Population Security In Iraq, We Have Seen Some Positive Results – Though The Enemy Has Certainly Sought To Overshadow Our Achievements By Carrying Out Sensational Attacks.” “… Your visible presence alongside Iraqi soldiers and police has begun to restore a sense of normalcy to many areas that have seen little other than violence over the past year. Your hard work has also led to the uncovering of sizable weapons caches, the detentions of a number of death squad and car bomb network members, the bringing to justice of a number of militia extremists, a decrease in the number of sectarian killings, and a renewal of commerce in many markets and neighborhoods.” (Gen. David Petraeus, Letter To Soldiers Serving In Multi-National Force-Iraq, 04/14/07)
Posted in 16 Responses to “The Captain Summarizes the Five Myths of Harry Reid”
Funny you posted this, I just finished reading it not 10 minutes ago. Great piece!
The following excerpt is from an April 12, 1999 interview between Fox News’s Tony Snow and Senator Mitch McConnell.
The subject is then President Bill Clinton’s effort to rally NATO forces to stop the genocide in Kosovo. The conflict broke out in March of that year, and by late summer the region had been stabilized, as it remains today.
Pres. Clinton’s plan worked well, worked quickly, and has provided long-term peace in the region.
Sen. Mitch McConnell did everything he possibly could to stand in the way of and undermine this successful military action that saved the lives of tens of thousands of people.
In fact, he went so far as to try to pass legislation that would have given $25 million from the American taxpayers to arm terrorists in the region — the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) that Snow references at the end of the excerpt.
Read the transcript. It’s another “gottcha†moment between Fox and McConnell.
SNOW: Thanks, Kelly.
Now joining us for more on the situation in Kosovo, Senator Mitch McConnell, chairman of the Foreign Operations of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Senator, welcome back.
U.S. SENATOR MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): Glad to be here, Tony.
SNOW: Are you a fan of this bombing run?
MCCONNELL: Well, I supported the bombing. I think everything else about this operation’s been rather pathetic. What we should have done in terms of preparing for the obvious humanitarian problem that was going to ensue from this, there was better planning for Woodstock. These people are in desperate condition, and we should have certainly anticipated a humanitarian problem of some magnitude.
SNOW: Now, you’ve seen this report from the Republican Policy Committee.
MCCONNELL: Yeah, I…
SNOW: Your own guys…
MCCONNELL: I have.
SNOW: … are saying that the KLA is basically a terrorist group with drug ties.
Oops.
Now, compare how Sen. McConnell treats the wars of competent presidents with those of incompetent presidents. And need we say anything about comparisons between post-war/occupational preparation by Clinton in Kosovo and Bush in Iraq. Let’s let the long-term results speak for themselves.
If I hear one more story about Reid I’m going to puke. Enough already.
I’ve had time to take a closer look at the Congressional War Powers report from the Center for American Progress that Think Progress posted today. It has some pretty frightening things to say about Mitch McConnell and his God complex.
If you’ll recall, Mitch and the Republican leadership were none too happy in 1999 when the United States, under the leadership of then-President Bill Clinton, and its Nato allies intervened militarily in the Balkans in an attempt to stop the genocide in Kosovo. In the end, the operation proved to be a great humanitarian and military success, and instilled new life and purpose into the Nato alliance.
But Mitch McConnell was one of the strongest opponents of Clinton’s action,which saved tens of thousands of lives. In fact, Clinton’s efforts in the Balkan conflict were so successful that the Milosevic regime capitulated and the region was stabilized in less than one Friedman unit. If only Mitch had literally shown Clinton one eighth the patience he’s shown George W. Bush, Mitch could have saved himself a lot of humiliation (but humiliating himself by his poor choices is something that Mitch has only gotten better at in the intervening years).
Now, get this, the CAP report reminds us that, not only did Mitch try to undermine the military plan of the nation’s Commander-in-Chief, Mitch–a mere senator–actually tried to enact his own competing strategy. Yes, that’s right! Mitch McConnell tried to fund his own little army in the Balkans! Check out this quote from the report:
“[W]e ought to give the Kosovars a chance to defend themselves. I mean you have refugees when people are afraid and can’t defend themselves; that’s when they run; that’s when they go across the borders into Macedonia and other places. These people will stay, if they think they have a chance to defend their homes and defend their families.†Senator Mitch McConnell, CNN TALKBACK LIFE 15:00 pm ET, March 25, 1999. Later in the fall, Senator McConnell introduced a bill, S.846, to authorize $25 million in assistance for the “self defense of Kosova.â€
And this plan of McConnell’s was no small operation. From the floor of the Senate he boldly outlined his plan to “equip 10,000 men or 10 battalions with small arms, antitank weapons, for up to 18 months.â€
This is the same man who is now declaring that, “If the Senate doesn’t support the mission in Iraq, it has only one option, and that’s to decide whether or not to fund that mission.â€
There are a lot more
There are all a bunch of dam liars and back the stabbing bas****s.
Don’t have a stroke, Cal. The fact is we are talking about 2007 and not 1999.
I can go back in history and go tit for tat with you, but what good is it? We are talking about the Senate Majority Leader standing in front of microphones making a general fool of himself as well as the rest of the country.
Lets do it
Hypocrisy is a funny thing. You need the past to show it. I’m sure there’s plenty to go around. I’m begging you. Take a break
[-o< ^
^
I promise you I’ll be nice to Republicans.:^o
I’m going to let you calm down before I respond in kind to you. You’ve proven yourself to be reasonable before, and comparing the Senate Whip or assistant whip from 8 years ago is not the same as talking about the current Leader of the Senate Majority party.
Apples and oranges. The Majority Leader gets the microphone and the Minority leader gets what’s left. The assistant Whip goes on his local television station news.
Cal:
It is the same as those of us that are told not to bring up President Clintons record, he isn’t President anymore. I think in many cases that is true especially when the issue is petty as many are.
As I have said here before, the Senate Majority leader, no matter from which party deserves to be taken to task if he takes to the microphone to speak. Senator Reid has not only been rebuked by conservatives but many democrats have disassociated themselves from his recent remarks.
You are correct, history will as it always has judge every President, the difference is it will not judge the actions and words of many others in positions of power.
Me reasonable?
I think you haveb-(enough for one night. I think I’ll sleep on it
I give up. You’re both absolutely correct. Good night|-)