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As Iraq Improves, Democrats’ Partisan Attacks On The General Give Way To A 95-2 Confirmation
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV) On Gen. Petraeus:
“I Don’t Believe Him.” Q: “…General Petraeus is going to come to the Hill and make it clear to you that there is progress going on in Iraq, that the so-called surge is working. Will you believe him when he says that?” SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): “No, I don't believe him, because it's not happening. All you have to do is look at the facts.” (CNN’s “The Situation Room,” 04/23/07)
“He's Made A Number Of Statements Over The Years That Have Not Proven To Be Factual.” (Sen. Reid, Press Briefing, 09/07/07)
“[He] Isn’t In Touch With What’s Going On In Baghdad.” “And for someone, whether it's General Petraeus or anyone else, to say things are great in Baghdad isn't in touch with what's going on in Baghdad, even though he's there and I'm not.” (Sen. Reid, Press Conference, 06/14/07)
“[Petraeus’ Report] Will Pass Through The White House Spin Machine, Where Facts Are Often Ignored Or Twisted, And Intelligence Is Cherry-Picked.” “This week, President Bush will send General Petraeus to Congress to report on the war -- but before the report arrives in Congress, it will pass through the White House spin machine, where facts are often ignored or twisted, and intelligence is cherry-picked.” (Sen. Reid, Democratic Radio Response To The President’s Weekly Radio Address, 09/08/07)
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL) On Gen. Petraeus:
He’s “Carefully Manipulating The Statistics.” “By carefully manipulating the statistics, the Bush-Petraeus report will try to persuade us that violence in Iraq is decreasing and thus the surge is working. Even if the figures were right, the conclusion is wrong.” (Sen. Durbin, Remarks To The Center For National Policy, Washington, D.C., 09/07/07)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY) To Gen. Petraeus:
“I Think That The Reports That You Provided To Us Really Require The Willing Suspension Of Disbelief.” (Sen. Clinton, Armed Services Committee, U.S. Senate, 09/11/07)
SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D-CA) To Gen. Petraeus:
“I Ask You To Take Off Your Rosy Glasses.” “I don't consider the surge a nuanced policy. It's killing our soldiers at a great rate. … I think that we need to look at reality. Senator Biden talked to you about what the comptroller general said, and you're going to argue about it? I think the comptroller general ought to be listened to. He says you're cherry picking your numbers in terms of the overall violence. … I ask you to take off your rosy glasses. You had them on in '05.” (Foreign Relations Committee, U.S. Senate, Hearing, 9/11/07)
SEN. JOE BIDEN (D-DE) On Gen. Petraeus:
“This [The Petraeus Plan] Is Ridiculous. There Is No Plan… He May Be The Only One Who Believes This Is A Good Idea.” “This is ridiculous. There is no plan. I ask the President and everyone else who comes forward with a plan, whether it is capping or surging or whatever they have: Will it answer the two-word test: Then what? Then what? Then what? What happens after we surge these women and men? And by the way, he said General Petraeus is one who believes. He may be the only one who believes this is a good idea. Virtually no one else thinks it is a good idea.” (Sen. Biden, Congressional Record, S.3080, 03/14/07)
“‘There Is Some Accuracy To’ So-Called ‘Cooking-The-Books’ Charges Being Leveled Against Petraeus.” “Delaware Sen. Joe Biden said yesterday Gen. David Petraeus is not ‘betraying us,’ as a liberal activist group charges, but the Democratic presidential hopeful did not reject charges that the military commander is using selected statistics to do the White House's bidding. ‘There is some accuracy to’ so-called ‘cooking-the-books’ charges being leveled against Petraeus, Biden, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said yesterday in a telephone interview from Washington.” (John Distaso, “Democrats Cool To Latest From Petraeus,” New Hampshire Union Leader, 09/11/07)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA) On Gen. Petraeus:
“None Of Us Should Be Fooled” By Gen. Petraeus. “I think the general will present the facts with respect to the statistics and the tactical successes or situations as he sees them. But none of us should be fooled -- not the American people, not you in the media, not us in Congress -- we should not be fooled into this tactical success debate. That's not what this is about.” (ABC’s “This Week,” 09/09/07)
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-CA) On Gen. Petraeus:
“I Don’t Think General Petraeus Has An Independent View.” “Well, let me -- well, I don't think General Petraeus has an independent view in that sense. General Petraeus is there to succeed. He may say the progress is uneven. He may say it's substantial. I don't know what he will say. You can be sure we'll listen to it. But I don't think he's an independent evaluator.” (Fox News’ “Fox News Sunday,” 09/09/07)
SEN. TOM HARKIN (D-IA) On Gen. Petraeus:
“Asking General Petraeus To Evaluate The Surge He Has Overseen In Iraq Is Like Asking A College Student To Grade His Own Term Paper.” “Today, General Petraeus once again came to Capitol Hill to ask Congress to prolong our involvement in Iraq's civil war. His assessment of the situation in Iraq was positive, but not independent. The simple fact is that asking General Petraeus to evaluate the surge he has overseen in Iraq is like asking a college student to grade his own term paper.” (Sen. Harkin, “Sen. Harkin's Statement on General Petraeus' Report to Congress,” Press Release, 09/11/07)
SEN. CHRIS DODD (D-CT) On Gen. Petraeus:
“That There Are Questions About Gen. Petraeus’ Report Is Not Surprising … The Whack-A-Mole Strategy Has Made This The Bloodiest Summer Of The War.” “The fact that there are questions about Gen. Petraeus' report is not surprising, given that it was brought to you by this White House. In contrast, independent report after report indicates that the Whack-A-Mole strategy has made this the bloodiest summer of the war.” (Sen. Christopher Dodd, Press Release, 9/10/07)
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