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"I think he had no alternative. We had to attack. He had to do what his military advisors
told him he should do."
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Senator Harry Reid. - 12.17.1998
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"You can never underestimate the demonic mind of Saddam Hussein ... The more we let
him get away with, the more brazen he becomes."
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Senator Harry Reid. - 11.03.1997
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Commentary - Did President Bush mislead Harry into making these statements?
No, because they were made in support of President Clinton.
Were the two preceding statements accurate because they were in support of a democrat, or did President Clinton mislead Harry and the Harpies as well?
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- 12.03.2005
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Army Gen. John P. Abizaid, the commander of U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf region, raised the possibility Monday that U.S. forces in Iraq could start to be reshaped as early as next year to reduce the number of combat troops and concentrate on the development of Iraqi security forces.
Abizaid declined in an interview to set a timetable for the shift, saying it would depend on the outcome of national elections in January and evidence that Iraqi forces could assume a greater share of combat operations against the country's entrenched insurgency. Other senior U.S. officers who elaborated on the plan said the change would not necessarily lead initially to an overall decrease in the number of U.S. troops in Iraq but could eventually facilitate a lower troop level.
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Bradley Graham - 12.07.2004
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While the Bush administration has refused to set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, Casey has repeatedly said a "fairly substantial" pullout could begin next spring and summer as long as the political process stayed on track, the insurgency did not expand and the training of Iraqi security forces continued as planned.
But when reporters asked Casey on Wednesday whether he still believed that to be the case, he said, "I think right now we're in a period of a little greater uncertainty than when I was asked that question back in July and March."
"Until we're done with this political process here with the referendum and the elections in December, I think it's too soon to tell," Casey said.
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Liz Sidoti, Associated Press Writer - 09.29.2005
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"It Is Time To See A Significant Transition Toward Full Iraqi Sovereignty, With Iraqi Forces Helping To Create The Conditions That Will Eventually Lead To The Phased Redeployment Of The United States Armed Services."
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Senator Harry Reid - 11.15.2005
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In the year prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), MIC undertook improvements to technology in several areas that could have been applied to a renewed centrifuge program for uranium enrichment. These dual-use technologies included projects to acquire a magnet production line at Al Tahadi, carbon fiber filament winding equipment for missile fabrication at al Karama, and the creation of a new Department of Rotating Machinery at Ibn Yunis. All of these projects were created to improve specific military or commercial products, but the technologies could have help support a centrifuge development project. ISG, however, has uncovered no indication that Iraq had resumed fissile material or nuclear weapon research and development activities since 1991.
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- 12.23.2005
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"To Achieve Victory Over Such Enemies, We Are Pursuing A Comprehensive Strategy In Iraq. ... Our Strategy In Iraq Has Three Elements."
"On The Political Side, We Know That Free Societies Are Peaceful Societies, So We're Helping The Iraqis Build A Free Society With Inclusive Democratic Institutions That Will Protect The Interests Of All Iraqis."
“On The Security Side, Coalition And Iraqi Security Forces Are On The Offensive Against The Enemy, Cleaning Out Areas Controlled By The Terrorists And Saddam Loyalists, Leaving Iraqi Forces To Hold Territory Taken From The Enemy, And Following Up With Targeted Reconstruction To Help Iraqis Rebuild Their Lives."
"And On The Economic Side, We're Helping The Iraqis Rebuild Their Infrastructure, Reform Their Economy, And Build The Prosperity That Will Give All Iraqis A Stake In A Free And Peaceful Iraq."
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President George W. Bush - 11.29.2005
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Today, President Bush failed to meet this call. Instead, he recycled his tired rhetoric of ‘stay the course’ and once again missed an opportunity to lay out a real strategy for success in Iraq that will bring our troops safely home.
“After nearly 1,000 days of war in Iraq, our troops, their families, and the American people deserve more than just a Bush-Cheney public relations campaign. They deserve a clear strategy with military, economic and political measures to be met in order to successfully complete our mission. The president's continued refusal to provide that plan does nothing to support our troops or their families. Simply staying the course is no longer an option, we must change the course. We can do better.”
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Senator Harry Reid - 11.30.2005
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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said yesterday that Democrats should not seek a unified position on an exit strategy in Iraq, calling the war a matter of individual conscience and saying differing positions within the caucus are a source of strength for the party.
Pelosi said Democrats will produce an issue agenda for the 2006 elections but it will not include a position on Iraq. There is consensus within the party that President Bush has mismanaged the war and that a new course is needed, but House Democrats should be free to take individual positions, she sad.
"There is no one Democratic voice . . . and there is no one Democratic position," Pelosi said in an interview with Washington Post reporters and editors
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Washingtonpost.com - 12.17.2005
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Commentary - Harry, now that your party has announced that it has no plan, would you answer a few questions:
How can you condemn the President for not having a plan, when your party has no plan?
Since when is National Security "a matter of individual conscience"?
Isn't Pelosi's statement an admission that, to the democrats, National Security is nothing more than a partisan political tool?
Which is more important to a democrat individual conscience - support for the troops or re-election?
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- 12.17.2005
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