Democrats Finally Identify Iraq Policy: Hold Hearings

Because, you know, the one thing we haven’t had is a debate about the war.
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that participates in hearings with me
Shall be my brother

Yes, Harry Reid has figured out the answer in Iraq:

Accusing Republicans of failing to adequately monitor the conduct of the war in Iraq, Senate Democrats on Wednesday announced their own series of hearings into what they called a failed policy.
“Three years into war, the American people still don’t have a clear picture of what’s gone wrong in Iraq — or how to set it right,” said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
“We’ve been going backward for too long,” he said.
Democrats said they had invited Republicans to attend the hearings, which will start in Washington on Monday and move across the country in October and November — before and after the November 7 congressional elections in which control of both houses are at stake.
Reid and other top Democrats told a news conference the current Congress had conducted fewer oversight hearings than previous wartime Congresses. They said lawmakers held 152 days of hearings on the Korean War and 328 days on Vietnam.


A moment of silence, please, for all those who courageously held hearings in past wars. History may little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that chairs a hearing now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.

6 thoughts on “Democrats Finally Identify Iraq Policy: Hold Hearings”

  1. “The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that chairs a hearing now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”
    Um, last time I checked the Republican party was literally LOADED with people who never served their country during war time (count up the number of deferrments your uber-patriots like Rummy, Cheney and the like received-I won’t even go to the Bush thing). Running crap like that is appalling. Just because you conduct a war (especially this train wreck) does not make you a patriot. Just because you all love this war and are psyched for the ginning-up of the next one in Iran does not make our current Admin the second coming of Washington and Jefferson. Utter clap-trap.

  2. First, you entirely miss my point here, which is that the only thing the Dems can seem to agree to is something that does absolutely zero for the war effort. There are many forms of political leadership that are useful in wartime that don’t involve getting shot at. The Democrats aren’t doing any of them.
    Second…Rumsfeld? Rumsfeld was a Navy pilot. Get your facts straight.

  3. Whatever, typed Rummy, did not mean to. There are a million other guys (Rove, etc.) that are tin soldiers. I don’t miss the point. You, as most ultra-rightwingers insist that if you are not for this mangeld “war effort” and are not in lock step with a policy that is pretty much “we are staying, that’s the whole plan” then you are anti-American. You ignore the fact that the majority of this Admin never fought in any war and are only too happy to engage in this one from either the sidelines or the bank teller lines.

  4. Just because you agree with the point of view does not mean I miss the point. Tell me how the last paragraph is not a direct insult to those (read; Democrats) that are against the current direction of things in Iraq (Middle East in general). Also tell me how the the name calling in reference to these people should not apply to the draft dodgers and deferrment mongers that litter the current administration?

  5. Despite Crank’s belittling of Congress’ role in the conduct of war, oversight has been sorely lacking during the War in Iraq. Our intelligence was faulty. Hundreds of billions were squandered. Abu Graib destroyed any moral highground we held. Yet what has Congress done other than load up on pork?
    During WWII, Senator Harry S. Truman – a patriot and veteran of WWI, conducted widely praisesd hearings into the fiscal corruption of the war effort. Though his party held the White House, he still identified hundreds of examples of fraud. Where is the parallel today?

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