Petraeus: ‘I don’t know’ if Iraq war makes America safer.
At the Senate Armed Services hearing on progress in Iraq today, Sen. John Warner (R-VA) asked Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, “if we continue what you have laid before the Congress, this strategy, that if you continue, you are making America safer?” “Sir, I don’t know actually,” replied Petraeus, adding that he is solely focused on the mission in Iraq. Watch it:
Transcript:
WARNER: I hope in the recesses of your heart that you know that strategy will continue the casualties, stress on our forces, stress on military families, stress on all Americans. Are you able to say at this time, if we continue what you have laid before the Congress, this strategy, that if you continue, you are making America safer?PETRAEUS: Sir, I believe that this is indeed the best course of action to achieve our objections in Iraq.
WARNER: Does that make America safer?
PETRAEUS: Sir, I don’t know actually. I have not sat down and sorted out in my own mind. What I have focused on and been riveted on is how to accomplish the mission of the Multinational Force in Iraq.
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62 Responses to “Petraeus: ‘I don’t know’ if Iraq war makes America safer.”
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Screw General Betray-Us.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:01 pmHe hasn’t “sat down and sorted in his own mind”?
Uhhh General. Its only been 4 years.
Guess you need more time, huh?
September 11th, 2007 at 5:02 pmMake America safer? This has NEVER been about making America safer. If it was, we would have gotten Osama Bin Laden by now.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:02 pmSo, are Petraeus’ words credible or not?
September 11th, 2007 at 5:03 pmOopsie, Davidsee, you weren’t prepared for that one, were you?
September 11th, 2007 at 5:03 pmSince Petraus’ focus is the war in Iraq. I don’t think the overall question of US security is in his bailiwick. I think his answer was actually very good. He has a fair bit of responsibility, without worrying about the broader picture. Bush on the other should be asked this question. Course he will lie, but that is normal.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:04 pmThat’s so clever — General betray-us. Way to ’support the troops’
Have you listened to anything he has said lately?
September 11th, 2007 at 5:04 pmThis is the video du jour. If I was a member of the Republic party, I’d start praying to go into a coma and wake up in 2047 at the end of 40 years of Democratic rule.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:05 pmUS foreign policy is a disaster, a scourge, a disease……any other good words for it?
For decades it’s been getting worse and worse. We have a military “presence” in 130+ countries, prop up nasty dictators with “foreign aid,” back assassinations and coups, and wage wars that kill millions….and millions……..
Are we safer? Hardly. The amount of people who hate these actions grow every day. More and more people around the world wish us harm. And, they’ll succeed unless we reverse course.
This foreign policy of aggression, force and war needs to end, before it ends us. period.
Read on if you’d like:
September 11th, 2007 at 5:06 pm“A Foreign Policy for America”
http://www.populistamerica.com/a_foreign_policy_for_america
What a hack. Is there anyone in this adminstration who isn’t one?
September 11th, 2007 at 5:07 pmHeckofajob, bushie.
If Americans are giving their lives shouldnt it be to protect the USA? If we are not ’safer’ what in the good Lord’s name are we doing?
September 11th, 2007 at 5:07 pmdono: Head meet nail.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:09 pmHow can anyone pursue a mission just for the sake of pursuing a mission and not even ponder the purpose of said mission?
The very definition of a yes man. No moral center. Just do what you’re told without asking questions.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:10 pm“…I have focused on and been riveted on is how to accomplish the mission…”
Translation: “I have lied to cover King George the Dumb’s ass because he promised me another star and a plush job with Haliburton.”
September 11th, 2007 at 5:14 pmWell, heck. We don’t know anything at all. Lefties = lack of knowledge.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:14 pmA major flaw has been exposed in the perception of the General. He has admitted in front of congress he doesn’t know if continuing in Iraq as he wants will make the US any safer. The highest ranking General conducting the military in Iraq does not know if what they are doing will make the US safer.
That has been a cornerstone of the Bush platform regarding Iraq and here the Gen. can’t assure us. This will be played to the hilt by the left and minimized by the right but it’s there for all of us in the middle to see.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:19 pmgeneral petraeus appears to be an honest leader doing his job. find out more at michael yon (embedded reporter) online.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:20 pm“Sir, if by ‘America’ you mean ‘rich Americans’ and by ’safer’ you mean ‘richer,’ then the answer is certainly yes. But if you meant what you said, then of course not.”
September 11th, 2007 at 5:21 pmA republican Senator was the one asking. This has the potential to cause a serious lack of support.
Without a clear understanding of it’s main goal this administration is being exposed as making it up as they go.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:21 pmThat’s so clever — General betray-us. Way to ’support the troops’
Have you listened to anything he has said lately?
Comment by François — September 11, 2007 @ 5:04 pm
I have.
And he said today under oath, that he “didn’t know if Iraq was making us safer”.
And as Joe Biden and Chris Matthews just pointed out, that that means he knows its NOT.
He’s carrying the Administrations water, and getting our troops killed in the process, which makes General “Betrayus” a good and fitting moniker.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:22 pmLet me answer that question for you, General, with another question -
If we had continued the Vietnam war for another several years, would that have made America safer? No.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:22 pmJust saw Hardball — I am no fan of Tweety, but I have to give credit where credit is due.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:23 pmMatthews is unable to control his outrage at the comments today by Petraeus that he doesn’t know if we are safer. The interview was with Biden, who was nearly in tears describing the “fallen angels” on his plane coming home. Matthews played the question and answer between Warner and Petraeus twice to emphasize the futility of fighting a war when even the general in charge can’t tell you why our soldiers are dying there.
Bush has to now answer to the American public on this. His own Gen. doesn’t know if this will make us safer but he wants to send more troops to their death.
This does not bode well for this administration.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:32 pmPssh.. Chris Matthews…
And way to support those troops barty!
September 11th, 2007 at 5:38 pmPetraeus answered that one very carefully. No cover for the Bushies on the rationale that Iraq is part of the War on Terra. Answering that one is a no-win call for Petraeus; better to slide on by and focus on “what’s to be done”, not “why the hell are we here in the first place?”
September 11th, 2007 at 5:38 pmFor Americans visiting the “Dog-and-Pony” show in the Green Zone? Yes, it’s safer.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:38 pmYou don’t KNOW?
Sir, the correct Bushco answer is “yes”. It HAS to be yes because Commander Dipshit keeps telling us that if we don’t fight ‘em over there, they’ll follow us home and we’ll have to fight ‘em here. Get it? Good.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:40 pmI know, lets put on a real dog and pony show somewhere near the capital! That’ll show ‘em how we feel!
September 11th, 2007 at 5:41 pmIs Petraeus under oath today?
September 11th, 2007 at 5:41 pmAnd way to support those troops barty!
Comment by François — September 11, 2007 @ 5:38 pm
Yea. Much better just to keep quiet and let Bush continue to push em into the meatgrinder, huh?
Y
September 11th, 2007 at 5:43 pmAnd by the way. The General is not “the troops”.
He’s just the guy currently in charge of getting them killed for nothing.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:45 pmSounds to me like you guys are very afraid. This is exactly what the terrorists are hoping to do to America. You better check your guts at the door people. If we don’t, there will be no America for tomorrow’s children.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:46 pmBTW Patreus may not know if current war plans make America safer, however everyone knows that pulling out now won’t.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:49 pmIn the first sentence, mr “aintskeerd” claims.
Sounds to me like you guys are very afraid.
And in the next breath states” If we don’t, there will be no America for tomorrow’s children.
Now.
Who’s the one who’s afraid?
September 11th, 2007 at 5:49 pmBarty, thanks for furthering the notion that you’re crazy.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:49 pmBarty, thanks for furthering the notion that you’re crazy.
Comment by François\AKA\Mighty Aphrodite — September 11, 2007 @ 5:49 pm
Yea. Not wanting to murder people.
Sure is crazy.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:51 pmHaa! You told me! Nut job.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:52 pmComment by Marie — September 11, 2007 @ 5:23 pm
“Is America safer?” is a loaded political question outside of Patraeus’s brief. I don’t fault Patraeus for his answer. Now what should have been asked was a follow up to the “achieve our objectives in Iraq” statement.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:52 pmBut thanks for admitting mr “Ainskeered” that you’re really shaking in your shoes.
I’d like to know however, what kind of spineless sissy one has to be, to believe that these backwards people with no military might whatsoever, could somehow “destroy our way of life”.
The only one that can destroy our way of life, is cowards like you, who change our way of life, cause you’re afraid of a handful of nuts running around in rags and sandals.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:53 pmBTW Patreus may not know if current war plans make America safer, however everyone knows that pulling out now won’t.
Comment by aintskeerd — September 11, 2007 @ 5:49 pm
“Everyone knows” - why don’t you prove that (1) ‘everyone knows’ and (2) that pulling out makes US less safe, skippy? Er, ‘bring it on’?
September 11th, 2007 at 5:54 pmOn 911 we lost 3000 people and 4 buildings.
We’ve got 300 MILLION people left, and lots of buildings.
America will go on.
Assuming we can curtail the republican cowards.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:55 pmThe republicans are not who you need to worry about.
September 11th, 2007 at 6:05 pmOK Skippy the turtle. As soon as you prove it won’t. Sorry I thought you had a brain. Uh “BRING IT ON”
Powell is in the latest GQ magazine and he touches on what can the terrorists do to us and what we can do to ourselves. It’s a good read.
September 11th, 2007 at 6:06 pmLike it or not aintskeerd, this is going to reverberate thru the halls of congress.
September 11th, 2007 at 6:07 pmainskeerd would rather live in a fasicst state, then let the “terrorists” win.
September 11th, 2007 at 6:15 pmainskeerd is a terrorist to Democracy.
Give me liberty or give me death.
The republicans are not who you need to worry about.
Comment by aintskeerd — September 11, 2007 @ 6:05 pm
Sure they are.
The republicans have done more damage to this country, and have been responsible for more American deaths than Osama Bin Laden ever did.
September 11th, 2007 at 6:16 pmEr….wasn’t the point of this war predicated on making ‘America Safer’?
September 11th, 2007 at 6:23 pmWe are less safe today due to our involvement in Iraq. There are more terrorists today than there were before the attacks of 9-11. Our presence in Iraq is used as a recruiting tool in Iraq by the insurgents. Bin Laden is still on the loose. Bush is focusing on the wrong war and we are not safe because of it.
September 11th, 2007 at 7:16 pmhe doesn’t actually know?….we’ll at least he could RECALL that he doesn’t actually know
September 11th, 2007 at 8:13 pmThen WTF are they doing there?
hahahahaha.
Incredible. It is almost like when Bush said that Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11.
I dont know what those 30% need. Maybe a slap in the face.
September 11th, 2007 at 8:16 pmComment by Marie #22
Yah Marie,
…but did you catch that dumb a*s al Cracker’s “comparison” question?
…”do you think Rudy handled 9/11 better than Ray Nagin handled Katrina, in other words is Guiliani a better Mayor than Ray Nagin?…
…and the two ignorant al crackers (Dem and repulsivescum) both ate the racist bait…
…”Of course he was…blah blahblah…
…what comparison?
…Ruby lost two buildings (possibly to insider demolitions, a couple of hijackers and two planes).
…Nagin lost a CITY…
…to the worst natural disaster in US HISTORY…
…TWEETY’s an al CRACKER, like his two guests were…
September 11th, 2007 at 8:28 pmPatraeus gave exactly the correct answer. He is responsible for achieve his set of objectives for Iraq, which is a subset of the objectives in the war on terror. Other political / military leaders above him are planning the all encompassing strategies to win the war on terror, so he is in no position to answer that question.
The question is a good one, just asked of the wrong person.
September 11th, 2007 at 9:59 pmWell f*** me, I agree with Jason Mysoginist Hendler. Can I get and Ivy League diploma off the internet now?
September 11th, 2007 at 10:14 pmIs that why we invaded Iraq? A country that never attacked us, led by a man who didn’t want to attack us? With the ridiculously named “weapons of mass destruction” that he didn’t have and we knew it?
The invasion of Iraq has done nothing but make us LESS SAFE and will go down in history as the worst decision by an American President, ever. Thanks to this momentously horrific decision, we as Americans are now the target of every nutjob terrorist in every country in the world.
September 11th, 2007 at 10:22 pm#52 - oh come on hendler - what is this war on terror? - what does it mean? - how can you wage a war on an abstractism with no fixed strategic military targets? - who is this terror? - and where are they? - by all accounts they are not just in iraq and afghanistan - bush will need to go storming into africa,sth east asia, south america,europe and even in his own back yard if he wants to win this ‘war’ - can’t you just accept that the us army is trying to police a civil war between several different groups of people that have been at each others throats for longer than anyone can remember….and it is and will always be out of control
September 11th, 2007 at 10:57 pm#55 ipod - ah but yes, Jason Fact Mangler did use the ‘GWOT’ hoohah - maybe I gushed my agreement too readily. On Patraeus I do agree with what he says.
September 11th, 2007 at 11:07 pmPatraeus gave exactly the correct answer. He is responsible for achieve his set of objectives for Iraq, which is a subset of the objectives in the war on terror. Other political / military leaders above him are planning the all encompassing strategies to win the war on terror, so he is in no position to answer that question.
The question is a good one, just asked of the wrong person.
Comment by Jason M. Hendler — September 11, 2007 @ 9:59 pm
=========
100% Correct!!
September 12th, 2007 at 3:05 amYea, when the ragheads hit DC you VERY FUNNY leftist are going to have shit all over your faces; but then a shitty face liberal looks no different than a raghead. Then what are all these poor, underprivileged folks without health insurance and welfare going to do? Won’t matter then will it? Maybe the ragheads will have pity and slit your throat really fast or stick a grenade up your great sphincter, YO!!!!
September 12th, 2007 at 3:20 am#58 - well when that happens hussein obob mr p,then petraeus WILL be able to answer the question which will be a resounding NO!! - america is not safe with the military surging in iraq
September 12th, 2007 at 3:45 amstopthecons says: “US foreign policy is a disaster, a scourge, a disease……any other good words for it?”
Yes…Muchausens by Proxy.
September 12th, 2007 at 6:56 amHere is the problem with putting so much emphasis on Petraus’ testimony. He is only concerned with the mission in Iraq. He’s not concerned with what is best for America or what’s best for the Armed Forces for that matter. The decision should be about the best course for America, not the best course for Iraq. As such, Congress should ask for testimony from other leaders at the Pentagon, Treasury Dept., CIA, etc. Then they can determine the best course for America, which is undoubtedly getting out of Iraq.
September 12th, 2007 at 8:10 amPetraeus needs to pay better attention. When the Prez was in Anbar he claimed that success there was making American streets safer. It was news to me that our crime was caused by Arab guys in the Middle East but there you have it. The Prez says so.
September 12th, 2007 at 8:12 am