Hillary and Kerry To Waste More Time and Money
By Stephen Dinan and Sara A. Carter
July 21, 2007
Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Kerry yesterday announced a bill to force the Pentagon to begin planning how to withdraw from Iraq, fighting back after a top Defense Department official said that publicly talking about pulling out "reinforces enemy propaganda."
After calling earlier this year for a briefing on how the Pentagon would withdraw its troops, Mrs. Clinton received a reply by letter this week that she said amounts to "impugning the patriotism of any of us who raise serious questions." She said she will ask the defense secretary to intervene and repudiate the letter, written by Undersecretary Eric S. Edelman.
"I sent a serious letter on a matter of national security to the secretary of defense, and in return received a political response," said Mrs. Clinton, who has been touting her Pentagon request in her presidential campaign.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he would look into the exchange.
"I had not seen Senator Clinton's reply to Ambassador Edelman's letter until today. I am looking into the issues she raised and will respond to them early next week," Mr. Gates said, adding that he supports both congressional oversight and congressional debate on Iraq.
In his letter, Mr. Edelman, a former ambassador to Turkey, defended the new U.S. security strategy and then said talking about withdrawal publicly is a bad idea.
"Premature and public discussion of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq reinforces enemy propaganda that the United States will abandon its allies in Iraq, much as we are perceived to have done in Vietnam, Lebanon and Somalia," wrote Mr. Edelman, who Mr. Bush placed in his current post using a recess appointment after Senate Democrats stalled his nomination in 2005.
Mr. Edelman also said the Defense Department has a policy of not releasing operational plans.
(the story continues on page 2...go read the rest)
So, seeing AND knowing that these actions ENCOURAGE THE ENEMY, these two idgits are going to press on ENCOURAGING THE ENEMY.
Isn't that wonderful news? They are going to continue with creating scenarios in which more of our troops they claim to support will be KIA, MIA or wounded.
Support such as this we could do with out...n'est pas?
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