Conyers:Troop Escalation and Clandestine Operations

[cal04]

Given the right wing's proclivity to misrepresent Democratic plans to end the war, irresponsibly claiming that our efforts would endanger our troops, I feel compelled to highlight a few stories today that shed some light on the truth.

In case you missed it, there was an AP story this morning explaining that the Administration is planning to send the troops designated for the Iraq escalation to Iraq without the proper training or outfitting. Sounds a bit familiar doesn't it?

And yet, we also learn today that General Peter Pace, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has brought his concerns about our lack of readiness to the Defense Secretary.

This should cause all of us great worry given the latest that Seymour Hersh is reporting in the New Yorker. Mr. Hersh has heard from many of his sources in the intelligence and defense community that U.S. efforts in the middle east have shifted from making peace in Iraq to allying with Sunni Muslims against Shiites.

Hersh reports that allying with Sunnis, American forces have undertaken clandestine operations in Syria, Iran, and Jordan - operations about which Congress has never been consulted nor informed. Moreover, it involves working with groups close to al Qaeda and building up the resources of other extremist Islamist organizations.

This is very distressing. We need to find out what is happening in the Middle East and where our funds allocated for Iraq are being spent. A troop escalation is the wrong policy right now. We need to bring our troops home before the Bush Administration finds more trouble for us to get into.


http://johnconyers.com/node/104

links
2 Army Units Will Forgo Desert Training
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/ap/story.asp?AP_ID=D8NI1SA80

Gen. Pace: Military capability eroding
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-02-27-pace-military_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA

THE REDIRECTION
http://www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/070305fa_fact_hersh

[magellan]

1. Well, at least Conyers is blogging about Bush** funding the terrorists

But I still haven't seen Pelosi or Reid in front of the cameras expressing outrage and vows to get to the bottom of it, a response that is MORE than warranted.

[bleever]

2. Conyers is not afraid to ask for the ugly truth.

K&R.

[KoKo]

3. Lets hope that Sy Hersh's article has been passed around both the House

and Senate. I sometimes worry that most of them don't have time to read and are not as well informed as they could be. Let's hope sharp staffers made that article an ASAP for them.