Summary of Senators' comments during SFRC hearing

[ProSense]

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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.”

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[beachmom]

1. Thanks for the round up, Prosense. The most emotional part of

the hearing to me was Chuck Hagel. For YEARS he supported the Vietnam War, and only recently realized it was a mistake, based on lies (this was a painful realization for him). This was all during the Iraq War. He is sick about all of this, and yes, he has voted with his mouth, voting for the Reid resolution that sets a timetable for withdrawal.

[Inuca]

3. Agree

very emotional. He is quite a character.

[TwilightGardener]

2. Great summary, Prosense--they did well today. FRC has a lot

of true patriots! :patriot:

[ProSense]

4. Kick! n/t