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Ear to the Ground

Congress Holds Hearing on ‘Craziest, Dumbest Plan’

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Posted on Jan 11, 2007
Condoleezza Rice
news.bbc.co.uk

Condoleezza Rice, Robert Gates and Gen. Peter Pace all testified before Congress on Thursday, defending the president’s plan to escalate the war. But many lawmakers, particularly Democrats, weren’t impressed. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, told Gen. Pace, “This is the craziest, dumbest plan I’ve ever seen or heard of in my life.”

Washington Post:

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Peter Pace held a morning news conference before Rice faced senators in a sometimes contentious hearing at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Gates and Pace then testified in the afternoon before the House Armed Services Committee and Rice went before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

At every venue, their message was similar—that failure in Iraq is unacceptable and that success hinges on the commitment and capability of the fragile Iraqi government, who they said is committed to the new plan. Their answers to pointed questions about just how the retooled U.S.-Iraqi strategy will work did not reassure some lawmakers, particularly Democrats, emboldened by recent election victories in which they wrested control of both houses of Congress.

“This is the craziest, dumbest plan I’ve ever seen or heard of in my life,” Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) told Pace during the Armed Services Committee hearing.

“We can’t afford to get snookered again,” said Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Tex.).

Gates told lawmakers that the U.S. military should know within months after the surge of U.S. troops begins whether the new strategy “bears fruit.” And if it doesn’t, he said in response to a question, “we will have to revisit our strategy.”

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By Bryan, January 14, 2007 at 12:30 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

If you are that retarted and think that its a game and its to hide the truth then lets see what you got. Balls? Probley not! Go there, and see it for yourself. You can sit there and write things that you have no backing on. This year when you take your vacation, why not make it a tour to Iraq and tell me all about it from there. Instead of watching all the critics to get your info, why don’t you call them up, and see if they will go with you. “Are you crazy? then I can’t sit here on my ass, watch t.v and be the critic that I am” is the likely answer you will get when you read between the lines. Its time to support eachother and work together. The troops would love more of you to help and support and not from lounging on your sofa while you channel surf. You can sit there and say we should have done this or that, or we need to do this and that, well what are YOU doing about it NOW? You are important to all of this, not just your opinion, be apart of it, it’s apart of you, these issues are important! Everytime you watch the news its criticizing, you talk to your friends-criticizing, there are more critics than people taking action. Osama bin Laden said we didn’t have the balls to fight and to stay in the fight- is he right? There is a lot at stake here, educate yourself, more than just the media. Or you just might be that fat pos thats full of bs. More people need to join and help the military out, and give the ones that are active duity a chance to take a breather. If you are one of those who have the support bumper sticker without having someone close or dear to you over there, then you should! I am in the NG and have gone over. And believe that the active guys need more breaks and there are plenty of people here at home that could go and help! Think about helping take the stress off of the guys and girls there. There are to many of you who say well I almost did it, or well if they where here I would fight. You do not want terrorist, IEDs, suicide bombers, sectarian violence, here. We need you to stand up and help your brothers and sisters over there trying to make a difference. Tough things are easier to get through with a lot of support and working together. We are doing important things in Iraq and working towards the peace for those who have been opressed their whole life. Success is to rid of those who want power, greed and blood shed, not just to kill us but their own people who want to live in peace. Have we thought about the fact that if we had as many doers as we have critics where the war may be. We have a lot of smart people that have the ability to help in every aspect of the issues we face as a nation, what are you doing?

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By LANCE, January 13, 2007 at 11:24 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Republicans and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be
thrown out...and both for the same reason.

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By doug smith, January 12, 2007 at 11:13 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

we should pull our troops out and put our president and leaders who think this is needed on the front lines and see if they think it’s still a good idea to continue the war.

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By Quy Tran, January 11, 2007 at 6:26 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Don’t ask or tell chimpanzees to act like us. They only know jumping up and down then MASTURBATE for their own pleasures. Just look at the picture of female chim you would know more.

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By trantieungoc, January 11, 2007 at 6:17 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

A bunch of SOBs are trying to hid their crimes.
Don’t listen to them. Just cut all funds and tie up their bloody hands. They’re bathing with blood that long will be enough !

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By Chaseme, January 11, 2007 at 6:05 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

How many of you remember, only last year was the number of US troops at the level the President is proposing?

This proposal is nothing different than what was done already. Troops were dying prior to this “surge” proposal and they will continue to die afterwards.

The most popular definition of Insanity certainly applies in this situation ‘expecting different results from the same action.’ However, there is another definition of Insanity that also applies: ‘legal incompetence or irresponsibility because of a psychiatric disorder.’

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By KenDenver, January 11, 2007 at 5:19 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

And they want to add 90,000 more troops to the army and marines.  The thing that’s interesting about that, is that if we weren’t wasting our time, money, and lives in the mess in Iraq, we wouldn’t need to increase the size of the military.  We’re wasting 150,000 troops for nothing.  Will these idiots ever stop?

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By Jackie T. Gabel, January 11, 2007 at 5:08 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Violence in the streets will only decrease when Negroponte’s Death Squads and the British pseudo-gang, agit-prop terrorists are reined in. This onslaught of black-ops/psy-ops has been integral to their strategy since they launched the whole damned crusade with 9/11, the goal of which is to fail all states within the Middle East and open them up to full fledged hegemonic domination. These Starussian-trained, Nietzchien-driven, neocon maniacs must be stopped! 911 crimes form the only issue sharp enough to pierce them to the quick.

Support 911Truth — End War of Terror

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