general petraeus testifies on progress in iraq

A press release from Freedoms Watch about the progress on the ground: "General Petraeus is delivering his second report on progress in Iraq to Congress this week, and once again those in Washington opposed to the war are pre-empting his report with defeatist nonsense. Democratic Senators Chris Dodd, John Kerry, Jack Reed, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have decried the lack of political progress and called it a sign of "failure." Apparently they're unaware of the Iraqi government's passage of key legislation, including a vital de-baathification law, oil revenue sharing provisions, a national budget, and granting limited amnesty to thousands of detainees. Now, a new group of liberals wants to get in on the act, setting up a new coalition called "The Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq" - but their plan is anything but responsible. It calls for an end to all military action in Iraq, and instead encourages the U.S. to end the conflict using "diplomatic, political, and economic power." There's a word for this strategy: surrender. When General Petraeus was in town last year, Hillary Clinton said his claims of progress required a "willing suspension of disbelief." If anything requires a suspension of disbelief it is the notion that Islamic extremists, suicide bombers, and dead-end insurgents will lay down their arms if we just leave - a strategy so naïve only a liberal could believe it. Call your member of Congress today. Tell them the only responsible plan to ending the War in Iraq is through victory. A good first step toward that goal is for Congress to listen to the advice of the military commanders on the ground - qualified and capable men like General David Petraeus."