House progressives request testimony from Petraeus

[Enrique]

http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/135171-congress-wants-to-hear-from-gen-patraeus

Rep Honda, Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus's Afghanistan Taskforce, and 30 other members of Congress sent a letter to President Obama last week asking that General David Petraeus be made available to testify before the House of Representatives early in the 112th Congress on the status of conditions on the ground in Afghanistan. The full text of the letter follows.

The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama: We write today to respectfully request that General David Petraeus be made available to testify before the Members of the House of Representatives on your administration’s December Strategy Review and the status of conditions on the ground in Afghanistan.

We believe that the enormous cost and importance of our war policy in Afghanistan warrants vigorous constitutionally-mandated congressional oversight as early as possible next year.

We believe that this bipartisan call for oversight is warranted by the uncertain progress being made securing the country, minimizing American casualties, combating corruption, expanding governing capacity, promoting political reconciliation, addressing links between the insurgency and Pakistan, limiting the Taliban’s ability to project violence, and furthering other important components of our Afghanistan-Pakistan policy.

The limited analysis provided in your December Strategy Review, although important, cannot replace in-depth and substantive congressional hearings and oversight.

Many Members are also concerned about the incredible costs associated with the current policy.

The War in Afghanistan is costing the American taxpayer $2 billion per week and will total $125 billion this year alone.

Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, noted this past August that “the most significant threat to our national security is our debt.”

We need direct access to our lead commander on the ground in order to fully consider the costs and benefits of a policy that is significantly contributing to our $1.5 trillion deficit and $15 trillion debt.

The American people deserve transparent oversight and a robust and comprehensive review of our Afghanistan policy by both the Administration and the new Congress next year.

We urge you to make General Petraeus available to testify early next year so that we can properly and appropriately fulfill our constitutional duties.

Sincerely,

Rep. Tammy Baldwin
Rep. Michael Capuano
Rep. Yvette Clarke
Rep. Steve Cohen
Rep. John Conyers, Jr.
Rep. Donna Edwards
Rep. Keith Ellison
Rep. Bob Filner
Rep. Marcia Fudge
Rep. John Garamendi
Rep. Alan Grayson
Rep. Raul Grijalva
Rep. Michael Honda
Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee
Rep. John Lewis
Rep. Hank Johnson
Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick
Rep. Dennis Kucinich
Rep. Barbara Lee
Rep. Ed Markey
Rep. Jim McGovern
Rep. Gwen Moore
Rep. Richard Neal
Rep. John Olver
Rep. Chellie Pingree
Rep. Mike Quigley
Rep. Fortney “Pete” Stark
Rep. Paul Tonko
Rep. Niki Tsongas
Rep. Maxine Waters
Rep. Lynn Woolsey

[T Wolf]

1. Does anyone actually think this request will be honored, either by Betrayus or Obama? Especially

now that the House is lost, there is nothing that the handful of progressives will be able to do on this issue or anything else.

Obama has made it clear that he prefers working with the pukes and simply telling the ConservaDems what they are supposed to accept.

Progressives are only supposed to vote in agreement with the administration and shut the fuck up.

[Ikonoklast]

2. And did you ever think that this is only posturing, as they know they have no power to compel

anyone to testify now that they don't control any House committee?

Seems like they should have done so earlier, if they actually had wanted to.


Political posturing isn't only done by the right, you know. This is for the benefit of their supporters to froth over, nothing more.

[Enrique]

3. they've held hearings at key points

and now is another key point, with the policy review just completed.

Regarding power to compel, the GOP has also called for Petraeus to testify, and now the progressives are joining that call. What's wrong with that?