****Official SFRC Petraeus Hearing Thread - ONE****

[gateley]

Thread four:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3124856&mesg_id=3124856


NOTE: Changed and re-numbered to reflect to differentiate between the SFRC and SAFC threads.

You're at the right place.

[spinbaby]

1. Five threads. Wow.

I haven't been paying attention--is it exciting?

[bdamomma]

4. nope we are staying the course, no end in sight.

[spanone]

15. did i miss obama or is he coming up in the next phase?

[gateley]

21. Next phase -- and he'll be toward the end because they

go in order of seniority. But there will be plenty of good ones prior to his appearance -- Biden, Boxer, Dodd, Kerry, to name a few.

[spanone]

28. thanks

[NJSecularist]

59. Wow, that is an all-star lineup.

This one should more interesting.

[gateley]

5. I tuned in late --

but on the whole, no.

I heard Kennedy did well. I missed McCain but can pretty much figure out what he said. Clinton did well but sounded SO tired, that she didn't bring the oomph I've seen her deliver at other hearings. Webb did okay. Bayh (IMO) did very well.

I think the SFRC Hearings -- which being at 2:30, will be more substantive.

[spanone]

2. thanks

[bdamomma]

3. are we going to start a new Foreign Relations Committee thread.

[gateley]

8. I thought we could just keep up with the "Patraeus" hearings and continue --

but do you think it would be better to differentiate?

[bdamomma]

10. nah, let's continue to muddle through these hearings.

[gateley]

14. Too late!

We can begin to muddle anew!

[laststeamtrain]

22. Ah, to muddle anew! Yes!

or something...

:hi:

Does anyone know where & when Cornyn got his traumatic brain injury? Or is he just dense?

[gateley]

29. God - that was painful, wasn't it. nt

[bdamomma]

32. I just muted him, I will not give those repigs the time of day.

[MiniMe]

6. I think we should just make this the foreign relations committee thread

It will be coming up at 2:30, on cspan3 I'm sure.

[goclark]

109. I think a new thread would be great because they are replaying

the morning session on some channels.

We don't want to get confused and not know what channel to change to for continueing feed.

Just my thought.

[spanone]

7. january 2009 = the democrats inherit a quagmire clusterfuck...and deserve it

you stop the funding or you are complicit....can't give em the money, then bitch about how they spend it imho

[alfredo]

12. Poppy bush gave Clinton Somalia, the chimp will give Obama or Hillary

Afghanistan, Iraq, and maybe Iran.

Oh, I forgot: GHWB gave Clinton the Waco Texas standoff. Maybe the Chimp will give Obama or Hillary another Texas Standoff.

[bdamomma]

13. that is how they can stop it, cut the funding.

they keep on giving our money of course they will continue on.

[gateley]

19. Biden once said, Bushco would get the money from SOMEWHERE --

I don't know how, but I sure as hell don't doubt it.

Is there any funding legislation scheduled between now and Jan 09? Last week Biden told the 'guests' that it's obvious that Bush is 'staying the course' until he can dump this in the next admin's lap. If there IS a funding bill coming up, it would sure be interesting to see how that goes...

[spanone]

23. i'd make him go get it somewhere else before i'd sign on to more war

[gateley]

27. Agree. nt

[bdamomma]

31. well I remember watching a hearing a house with Delahunt from

Massachusetts and another one of House Committee members, this thing about when the UN Agreement ends in Dec 2008 with the funding aspect, may have something to do with the ending or continuing on with this immoral invasion. Now they looking towards the UN, this dastardly administration couldn't care less about the UN. They completely made the UN irrelevant.

[bdamomma]

9. oh god, condi puss face is on C Span 2 beating the drum on Iran

we need to get these thugs out, they would not think twice of striking another country.

[gateley]

30. The R's couldn't mention Iran ENOUGH during the SAFC session! nt

[gateley]

11. I changed it to SFRC Thread One. Please kick and

rec to keep this visible for those who are interested. I guess I kinda jumped the gun. :7

[bdamomma]

16. will do. thanks gateley, aren't you mentally drained right about now?

I will be ready for a nice glass of wine when I get out of work.

[gateley]

33. Have more than one, alyce! nt

[bdamomma]

17. kick for the Foreign Relations Committee.

[spanone]

20. does biden chair this committee?

[gateley]

24. Yes. nt

[spanone]

25. thanks this should be a bit more interesting....

[alfredo]

18. We need to point out that bush wants a Status of Forces Agreement but

doesn't want us to see what is in that agreement. He wants to tie us down in Iraq without giving us a say in his decision.

Fuck the dictator! Fuck bush!!!

[gateley]

26. Wha? State of Forces Agreement?

What the fuck does that mean?

According to Biden (and all of us and lots of others), he wants to tie us down in Iraq until he leaves office and dump this on the next admin.

[alfredo]

34. Status of Forces Agreement is the only way we can legally keep forces

in a country.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Status_of_Forces_Agreement

[gateley]

36. Oh God. There is NOTHING they won't try. nt

[BadgerKid]

37. Gotta keep spreading democracy. (sarcasm) n/t

[alfredo]

40. Let's see if the SOFA advances the neo conservative agenda.

[bdamomma]

35. you know I think these Senators know that the Iraq invasion will not end

with this administration, and it's so sad they think the majority of Americans ( they imply that we are thinking about Iraq) think things are ok when clearly there are so many of us who don't see it that way, I hate how they ignore us, and insult us. We know what's going on?? this invasion of Iraq is sucking the life or our troops and Iraqi civilians and our money out of this country and our way of life. How do we end this, before god forbid, this lunatic starts another invasion, and I am sure no one will sit still for another illegal invasion.

[spanone]

38. i hope your right about 'another invasion'... i thought that about 'this invasion'

with the help of the media, they can sell anything

[spanone]

39. saw where bu$h* is speaking tomorrow...wanna bet he asks for more money for iraq???

[Ichingcarpenter]

41. They are starting to sit down at their seats on MSNBC

I have the sound off right now.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

42. Barbara Boxer is going to nail them.

[bdamomma]

45. I hope so.

they need a nailing.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

49. She has had many moments of magnificence and if anyone can do it, she can.

[laststeamtrain]

98. BB yeah. Get 'em. I hope, I hope, I hope... n/t

[laststeamtrain]

111. Here comes BARBARA! O yeah. n/t

[spanone]

43. cspan 3

[bdamomma]

44. starting now.

[cboy4]

46. Oh boy....get ready for Biden to chew them a new A-hole

:thumbsup:

[spanone]

48. starts by buttering them up.....

[bdamomma]

52. Biden does not play.

[Hepburn]

47. OK.....Joe Biden time!

Go, Joe! Kick these bastards to the curb and let them have it!

:hi:

[Ichingcarpenter]

50. He is already kicking butt compared to Levin's opening statement

I thought Levin really sucked.

[Ichingcarpenter]

54. This hearing already has taken a different tone than the one this morning

I can feel they are gonna kick some butt..... Biden is kicking butt.

[gateley]

58. I know! Woo Hoo! nt

[spanone]

51. go joe

[bdamomma]

55. biden is blunt but truthful.

[Ichingcarpenter]

61. What a difference a hearing makes....

Levin's opening statement was lame as compared to Biden.

He is just tearing them apart on what they said this morning.

[Ichingcarpenter]

68. Betrayous and the ambassador looked like school boys getting

schooled by the principal for fucking things up in the boy's bathroom.

[gateley]

53. Biden doesn't paint rosy pics, IMO - he states the facts. nt

[Jennifer C]

56. Yeah, exactly.

Go Biden :thumbsup:

[bdamomma]

57. we can answer that question.

NO NO AND NO


Yes, Joe is knocking out the facts.

[gateley]

60. Patraeus doesn't look too comfy. nt

[bdamomma]

63. that was a big mistake to not have this man sit behind that desk.

[Jennifer C]

69. delete

[bdamomma]

67. he is bushie loyal servant.

get ready for some arrogant answers from petreaus.

[VP505]

62. Petraeus sure looks

pensive, LOL.

[gateley]

64. People equal to you have testified the opposite!

[alfredo]

65. CSPAN video launcher for Macs

http://homepage.mac.com/alfredo_tomato/FileSharing21.html

The icon as you see it will not show on your download folder, the Applescript scroll will show.

[gateley]

83. On behalf of Mac users -- thanks!

(I always watch on Camino or Firefox - didn't know about the launcher)

[alfredo]

99. It was pretty easy to make. It's just a line or two of Applescript.

The other launcher is WUKY a public radio station in Lexington KY. It's one of the oldest, if not the oldest university station (U of K). It's not a real audio launcher, but a Safari launcher. Try the station, it's pretty good.

Simple script for safari or your default browser. You can replace the URL with any URL you want.

open location "http://128.163.9.163/wukylive"

[Eurobabe]

66. I felt that Joe was on TV

:loveya:

Get'em Bideyman, cut through the BULLSHIT.

[gateley]

72. ....

:hi:

[Eurobabe]

78. ...

:bounce:

:hug:

[bdamomma]

73. I love Biden when he kicks a$$.

he is sticking up for us. Yes!!!!!!!!!!!

[goclark]

110. He knows his stuff

I think he would make a great VP

[cboy4]

70. 12 billion dollars every single month in Iraq

:wow:


OUTRAGEOUS

[gateley]

71. So. We still don't have a response, I might add. nt

[gateley]

74. You want the FACTS? Listen to Biden! nt

[Ichingcarpenter]

75. Sen Lugar's opening statement

It is starting to sound ass kissing .... yes big ass kissing.

[gateley]

80. They always begin with thanking them for their service.

But Biden didn't keep the gloves on too long!

Lugar might be less blunt, but I think the message will be the same.

[Ichingcarpenter]

82. He is starting to get on their ass now

talking about our broken army and what the other generals said
last week...... I was worried after listening to the last hearing.

But you are right, he sounds better than some Democrats that were on
the other committee.

[gateley]

84. If this week's hearing

is anything like last week's -- it'll be an entirely different ballgame than this morning's limp showing.

[Eurobabe]

Even Lugar is kicking their asses.

Hmm. With Hagel right next to him. This ought to be interesting.

[bdamomma]

89. Hagel doesn't play either.

[bdamomma]

85. oops misunderstood your comment.

I guess this is just a rehashing from this morning from Crock of crap.

[gateley]

76. Crocker and Patraeus look like chastised children. nt

[cboy4]

77. Oh boy Senator Lugar....look how long your nose is

growing. :eyes:

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

79. Thank you Senator Biden!

Boy, he really laid it out.

That was refreshing.

[gateley]

81. He always does. nt

[gateley]

86. It is my pleasure to appear before you today to give my -- actually Bush's --

assessment. :eyes:

[Ichingcarpenter]

87. Crocker's voice is not as strong or confident as the first hearing

He is getting to do his opening statement now.
Almost like the last hearing.

[gateley]

88. I hope they PULVERIZE Crocker for this BS opening statement! My blood

is already beginning to boil!

They're not going to fall for this crap.

[bdamomma]

90. get ready for Boxer, we have some good representation here.

[gateley]

93. Did you see her last week?

I was standing up yelling "Yeah! Boxer!" at my monitor!

[gateley]

91. Who does he think he's addressing?

These people KNOW the truth and the facts - does he think they'll buy this line?

[bobthedrummer]

92. While Crock O Crap is speaking Baghdad is blowing up block by block...

[gateley]

94. Four American soldiers dead today, according to CNN. Of course,

no mention of Iraqi deaths.

[gateley]

95. I'd love a shot of the eye-rolling and looks of disbelief on the members' faces.

[bdamomma]

96. I am sure this committee will not beat the drum for Iran.

but they are clearing this with the Congress, this was done by * with the Iraqi government and with no oversight from the Congress.

How can they say that no permanent bases in Iraq, will they give the green zone to the iraqis, give me a break huh?

[Ichingcarpenter]

The war Legally Ends January 1, 2009 without an act of Congress

If we want it to.

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

97. MSNBC cuts away to Holy Joe. Now playing Sen. Clintons remarks

Looking to have Joe go after her now, I guess.

[gateley]

100. Joe Lieberman? It's still feeding on CSpan3

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

101. No, Norah is interviewing him on MSNBC.

[gateley]

103. I wasn't clear -- sorry --

by Holy Joe are you referring to Lieberman? (Since we're talking about Biden, too, I get confused)

AND...

The hearings feed is still live on CSpan3.

[gateley]

102. ****Official SFRC Petraeus Hearing Thread - TWO****

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3125833

[bdamomma]

104. crocker is a crock.

[bushmeister0]

105. What the hell was Dick Lugar thinking?

Here he's wasting everybody's time talking about troop levels, strains on the military and other larger strategic questions. As the WaPo pointed out this weekend, Gen. Patraeus' councel on the war is the one he "values most."

As Kenneth "Cakewalk" Adelman tells the Post, "It is part of Bush's overall management style -- to cede responsibility to a lower level and not look carefully at critical issues himself. Originally on Iraq, it was whatever Rumsfeld wanted. Then it was whatever Jerry Bremer did. And now it is whatever Petraeus wants."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/05/AR2008040502265.html

W., keep in mind, is not a fact-checker and all this stuff about not having enough forces and all this nay-saying is not what he wants to hear. Out the door goes Sec Def Gates, the JCS, they're confusing him with the facts. Patraeus doesn't whine, he does.

I note in the WaPo article about the influence of Patraeus on Bush that:

"But during the George W. Bush administration, improved videoconferencing technology has allowed the president to communicate to an unprecedented degree with commanders on the battlefield and, his advisers say, immerse himself in the details of the war. Bush has also held videoconferences with Casey and other previous Iraq commanders, but after Petraeus and Crocker were appointed last year, the process was institutionalized in a regular Monday morning war council between Washington and Baghdad."

Significantly, "A similar Afghanistan meeting takes place every two to three weeks, a White House spokesman said."

Because I guess that isn't on the frontline of the GWOT.

How can a four-star general be running the whole show? At least when Lincoln finally settled on Grant as is man in 1864, he promoted him to Lt. General, the highest ranking general in the army since Washington.

[laststeamtrain]

106. Petraeus: "There's been 'uneven' progress' in Iraq." Compared to what? n/t

[bdamomma]

108. Petreaus is just a tool of Bush, he does what they ask him to do.

they don't want a Admiral Fallon? I wish this committee would bring Fallon to testify.

[bdamomma]

107. jeez, must they always mention Iran, give it a break huh?

Pakistan is more threatening than Iran, I bet Biden is going BS hearing this.