Crocker: Al Qaeda on Afghanistan-Pakistan border bigger threat than in Iraq.
Filed Under: Iraq
By on Apr 8th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Crocker: Al Qaeda on Afghanistan-Pakistan border bigger threat than in Iraq.
During this afternoon’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) forced Ambassador Ryan Crocker to acknowledge that al Qaeda in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region poses a larger threat than al Qaeda in Iraq:
SEN. BIDEN: Mr. Ambassador, is Al Qaeda a greater threat to US interests in Iraq, or in the Afghan-Pakistan border region? … Which would you pick, Mr. Ambassador?
AMB. CROCKER: I would therefore pick Al Qaeda in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area.
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I’m guessing Ryan Crocker is looking to be “relieved” of his post. I can’t imagine he’s looking forward to getting back on that plane and heading back to Iraq.
April 8th, 2008 at 5:02 pmNext question: “So why are we still in Iraq again?”
April 8th, 2008 at 5:03 pmSEN. BIDEN: Mr. Ambassador, is Al Qaeda a greater threat to US interests in Iraq, or in the Afghan-Pakistan border region? … Which would you pick, Mr. Ambassador?
AMB. CROCKER: I would therefore pick Al Qaeda in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area.
SEN McCAIN: Okay, then let’s bomb THEM!
April 8th, 2008 at 5:05 pmSEN. BIDEN: Mr. Ambassador, is Al Qaeda a greater threat to US interests in Iraq, or in the Afghan-Pakistan border region? … Which would you pick, Mr. Ambassador?
AMB. CROCKER: I would therefore pick Al Qaeda in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area.
Which explains perfectly why we’re still in Iraq and pissing away lives and taxpayer $’s …………
April 8th, 2008 at 5:05 pmThese guys must drink a lot to be able to live with what they have done.
April 8th, 2008 at 5:05 pmThe TP post and the quoted testimony are non-sequitur. The ambassador actually skirts the question AND reinforces the ‘we are winning in Iraq’ propaganda in his answer, saying, paraphrased, “Since we beat them up so bad in Iraq, I’d focus on Afghanistan/Pakistan in this hypothetical”. That said, this isn’t really a news item beyond noting the cheerleading.
April 8th, 2008 at 5:10 pmAMB. CROCKER: However, the President couldn’t really spell Pakistan-Afghanistan so instead we invaded Iraq, to ensure that the President would get most of the letters right
April 8th, 2008 at 5:10 pmnext question : How many Iraqis have died during this occupation? Follow up : f the financial aspect, was it worth the price in human life?
April 8th, 2008 at 5:12 pmcooljames
He said:
when asked:
We have 160,000 troops and heavy equipment and a 12Billion dollar a month bill to cover costs going on in Iraq because we are fighting them there so we don’t have to fight them here…….
at the same time, all agree we are losing in Afganistan at present…
April 8th, 2008 at 5:14 pmSEN McCAIN (continued): Well, we gotta bomb somebody!!!
April 8th, 2008 at 5:15 pmIt appears everything is peachy in Iraq. Fine….let’s bring our troops home.
April 8th, 2008 at 5:17 pmDid McCain decide to show up? The last I saw he wasn’t even at the hearing.
April 8th, 2008 at 5:20 pmOMG! Quick! Attack Iran!
Or Oregon.
April 8th, 2008 at 5:22 pmIf they bomb the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where do they bury the survivors?
April 8th, 2008 at 5:23 pmpete Says:
April 8th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Did McCain decide to show up? The last I saw he wasn’t even at the hearing.
Ah, I guess he’s there. Still doesn’t know the difference between Shia and Sunni. What a tool.
April 8th, 2008 at 5:25 pmDid McCain decide to show up? The last I saw he wasn’t even at the hearing.
Oh yeah, he’s there. Drool-cup in hand, propped up in the corner, muttering incoherent ramblings about the Shi’a in al qeada or some nonsense, kinda like the crazy old fool that reminds me of my Grand dad before we had to put ‘im in a home.
April 8th, 2008 at 5:31 pmwell now that mc cain’s where abouts are known , WHERE”S OSAMA BEEN LATELY ?
April 8th, 2008 at 5:32 pmjohnross85 Says:
April 8th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
If they bomb the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where do they bury the survivors?
In Iranistan, naturally!
April 8th, 2008 at 5:33 pmRUCerious Says:
April 8th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
OMG! Quick! Attack Iran!
Or Oregon.
Hey! Watch it!
April 8th, 2008 at 5:33 pmAmbassador thats a CROCK o ……
April 8th, 2008 at 5:34 pmRUCerious Says:
April 8th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
johnross85 Says:
April 8th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
If they bomb the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where do they bury the survivors?
In Iranistan, naturally!
Uh oh. Someone blew the riddle.
April 8th, 2008 at 5:34 pmCrocker: Al Qaeda on Afghanistan-Pakistan border bigger threat than in Iraq.
Kudos to Sen. Biden for asking the right questions.
Boo for not nailing him to the wall.
Someone should have also pointed out that Al Qaeda was not in Iraq, but was still at the Pakistan/Afhanistan border when we invaded Iraq for WMDs that freeking didn’t exist.
When the hell are we going to have some of our representatives actually stand up for the Constitution and Truth.
When is it time to say enough is enough? When war crimes have been committed? When every citizen’s 4th amendment rights have been violated?
Wake up, its already happened?
When are we going to have our representatives hold themselves to the oath of office they swore?
April 8th, 2008 at 5:34 pmWhen is enough Enough, already.
matbe the dead should be buried in the fantasy land that Bush and evil dick inhabit ?
April 8th, 2008 at 5:36 pmNow, gummitch, I know you don’t bury survivors, except in the TV ratings for reality shows!
April 8th, 2008 at 5:42 pmRUCerious Says:
April 8th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Now, gummitch, I know you don’t bury survivors, except in the TV ratings for reality shows!
Yeah, well, maybe. But you’re planning on bombing Oregon!
April 8th, 2008 at 5:44 pmWayne Says:
April 8th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
When the hell are we going to have some of our representatives actually stand up for the Constitution and Truth.
When did we let our reps get away with their compromise of oath?
It happened when Americans became complacent sheep. More aptly capable of telling you who stars on what television show than naming their rep. Nothing will change in congress until Americans become engaged.
April 8th, 2008 at 5:44 pmWhoosh. TrollBeGone.
April 8th, 2008 at 5:44 pmThe biggest question of the day is ….will anyone be made to answer for the crime of invading a country who had nothing whatsoever to do with 911 and whose dictator along with many others was supported and helped by the U.S. and whose invasion was planned and executed by people who wrote pre 911 of their intention to invade the Mid East inorder to control China and the developing world !
April 8th, 2008 at 5:48 pmSure bomb eastern oregon but give bend to california first ! The irony is that the US government has sort of all ready done that by releasing radioactive materials by plane along the eastern slope of the cascades inorder to test the effects of radiation on the American population .
April 8th, 2008 at 5:54 pmNo kidding ! Gotta love that freedom of information act !
You know, it just seems that none of them have a clue about anything. It is just a clusterfck, with neocan’ts grabbing as much money as they can while the getting is good.
April 8th, 2008 at 5:58 pm#26 lefty
April 8th, 2008 at 5:59 pmno no it all happened when the Kennedy’s and MLK were assassinated . Anyone have a lite ? It’s getting awfully dark out there.
it was the only threat in the region, prior to numbnut’s doomed invasion.
April 8th, 2008 at 6:00 pmWell I give Crocker this, he told the truth. Not good for job security or the administration.
April 8th, 2008 at 6:01 pmIt’s always a kick to listen to Biden. He is so much more well prepared than most in the Senate, including the candidates. Would have been a great president.
April 8th, 2008 at 6:02 pmSpeaking of trolls. (pah!) It’s not Hitler’s birthday and I think spring breaks are over. Do you think the piss-soaked one got suspended for challenging the authoritah of the Headmaster?
I really, really, hope TP starts banning IP addresses and reports some of the terroristic threats made here today.
April 8th, 2008 at 6:04 pmpete Says
April 8th, 2008 at 6:10 pm….. some of the terroristic threats made here today.
???????
The heretic Crocker will have move quickly out of government!
April 8th, 2008 at 6:18 pm# freeman Says:
April 8th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
pete Says
….. some of the terroristic threats made here today.
???????
I haven’t been hanging around during the days lately, so I may have missed some, but, there were numerous, specific, threats made against liberals, U.S. soldiers and too many others to reenumerate. Perhaps I’ve just been spared the actual threats to, “fill their guts with led (sic)”?
April 8th, 2008 at 6:20 pmOur Iraq policy is ridiculous. If we are paying off all the sides, what incentive do they have to form a real compromise government? Do they really want those checks to stop coming in? If the al Maliki’s government is being protected by US troops, what incentive do they have to compromise with Sunni factions? What incentive does the Iraqi government have to fight Shiite militias if violence from those militias will mean more US money coming in and more US troops to guard them?
They are now running a large surplus in their budget because they have US taxpayers to cover their defense budget. So they have a surplus while our government runs a huge deficit, yet WE are the ones paying off militias/extremists?
I’ve heard some say, “We’ve made our bed in Iraq, now we have to lie in it,” but I feel like we’ve become Mommy and Daddy to the Iraqi government. They don’t have to make their bed since Mommy and Daddy will just come in and make it for them every time. On top of that, Mommy and Daddy even raise their allowance the messier the bed gets.
April 8th, 2008 at 6:33 pmI can’t listen to Crocker speak. Every other word is “Uh.”
April 8th, 2008 at 6:47 pm>“So why are we still in Iraq again?”
didnt rummy tell you? there are no good targets in afghanistan…
April 8th, 2008 at 6:50 pmLast count our government said there “may be” 1,000 AQ (really insurgents calling themselves AQ) in Iraq. And yet Betrayus and other Republican stooges are trying to convince us that they are the biggest and baddest threat in Iraq. So, why can’t the US with 160,000 soldiers somehow take care of 1,000 AQ in Iraq. That’s a question someone should ask Betrays.
April 8th, 2008 at 8:01 pmRUCerious Says:
OMG! Quick! Attack Iran!
Or Oregon.
Now, wait a minute. I take exception to that. I say if we can’t attack Iran we attack Texas.
April 8th, 2008 at 8:04 pm“I would therefore pick Al Qaeda in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area.”
So…were spending 12 BILLION DOLLARS A MONTH in Iraq to accomplish what?
Fulfilling Bin-Laden’s plan to destroy the U.S. economy?
Mission accomplished?
I saw a commodity report at work today.
April 8th, 2008 at 8:49 pmSome Chinese suppliers are now reluctant to accept US dollars.
they want to be paid in Euros.
The real s*** has yet to hit the fan.
Heckuva job, Bushie!
Hmm…I heard Obama make the same comment the other day - I believe he made the statement while on the Harball College tour. He stated that we really should be focusing on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area. Couple that with the comments he was ridiculed over regarding air strikes in Pakistan - which he also called correctly…I’d say that the young inexperienced candidate has already shown more recognition to the actual problems - he certainly sees a reality than the bush admin is blind to. It’s also a recognition that McSame and The Clintons have failed to achieve. Nice job rookie. Go Obama.
April 8th, 2008 at 11:09 pmSo why aren’t our greatest efforts focused on where the greatest threat exists? More than 5 years ago we had bin Laden trapped at Tora Bora but rather than securing that area and capturing bin Laden we diverted our energies into a build-up for an invasion of Iraq that Congress hadn’t even debated, let alone authorized. The Bush administration has made mistake after mistake after mistake and have learned absolutely nothing. Why they have not been fired (impeached) is beyond belief.
April 9th, 2008 at 12:59 am.
Is this where the NeoCon Fascist cheer squad yell:
“Stay the Course!”
.
April 9th, 2008 at 1:38 am