On Iraq questions, Senate learns from House mistakes

[babylonsister]

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/12845.html

On Iraq questions, Senate learns from House mistakes
Posted September 11th, 2007 at 1:43 pm


snip//

The deep-seated doubt expressed at the hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee reflected just how far Congress had come since the war began over four years ago. And Republican senators raised tough questions that rivaled those asked by Democratic presidential hopefuls on the panel.

That’s actually not hyperbole, and it’s also not because the Dems were holding back. Most of the Foreign Relations Committee have availed themselves well this morning, not just for political theater, but in gleaning some important information.

There’s simply no way to summarize all the exchanges, but here are some details to keep in mind:

* Committee Chairman Joe Biden (D-Del.) got Petraeus to concede his proposed troop withdrawals — allegedly a major concession — were scheduled to happen anyway.

* Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), who rhetorically broke with the Bush policy in June (though he won’t vote against it), continued to express his disapproval this morning. As Tim Grieve noted, Lugar believes it’s time to “lay the groundwork” for “sustainable alternatives,” to “prepare for the next phase of our involvement in Iraq, whether that is a partial withdrawal, a gradual redeployment or some other option.”

* Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) crushed Petraeus and Crocker on why the surge policy is not responsible for progress in Anbar.

* Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) accused Petraeus and Crocker of “bright-line contradictions” between their assessments and independent data. He also emphasized that if a surge can’t bring about political reconciliation, there shouldn’t be a surge.

* Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) pressed Petraeus and Crocker on al Qaeda and accused them of suffering from “myopia.”

* And Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) asked Crocker what the chances are of political progress before the end of Bush’s presidency. Crocker couldn’t say.

Stay tuned.