Foiled By Microphones!!!! The Testimony That Almost Was Not

Working from home, so you might not be surprised to know the House Armed Services Committee testimony by General Petraeus is on in the back ground. Blast my workaday life....why can't I be independently wealthy so I can blog in peace without the interruption of paid work?

Oh, well.

Are any of us going to be surprised by what Petraeus is about to say? I'd love to be surprised. I really would. The hearing is just getting underway and Chair Rep. Ike Skelton has already ordered a noisy protester from the room. No disturbances will be tolerated. Get that?

Because the occupation of Iraq is serious business.

The pre-game coverage on MSNBC has made great noise about the trouble for Democrats. All the sudden, the Democrats own the fucking occupation. It's their issue to lose. They have the whack-job supports who are demanding that they do something to end the occupation. They have the pressure on. They have their delicate, liberal feet to the fire. The Democrats! It's all about the Democrats!!!!

Someone get me a drink. Heavy on the vodka.

I just got an email that underscores the imbalance in this whole fucking mess. Democracy for America wants me to contact my Senators to tell them to fund withdrawal and end the war. I'd be delighted to do so, and I will. I won't bother making a phone call because the last time I did that I just got the shit irritated out of me by a Republican staffer who told me that the issue I was calling about wasn't on my Rep's "radar screen."

So instead I'll write my own letter. Perhaps it will provide some balance for their notion that all their constituents are frightened, mean-spirited followers who love bloodshed, especially when it's the blood of dark skinned people or those who volunteer on our behalf to protect our Constitution.

So here's my email for Senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss:

Dear Senator:

Thank you for serving as a voice for all your Georgia constituents. I'm writing today to remind you that Georgians are not a monolith and there is a diversity of views on any number of issues. As a Republican Senator, I understand the you must balance your party loyalty, the political situation of the day, and the needs and positions of your constituents.

It's important that you are reminded that you have constituents who do not agree with Republican positions and policies. You may not agree, but to best do your job, you should hear dissenting voices, too.

Specifically, I'm writing to ask you to advocate a phased troop withdrawal from Iraq that would begin right away. I am not demanding an immediate withdrawal. I am asking that you listen to the 65% of Iraqis who think that the current troop surge is not helping the situation in whole. (See copy and link below.)

Those Iraqis are the people who are living the history that we will all have to answer for one day. They are suffering and they want change. Their message is clear. They think it's time for us to go. Their opinion must provide balance to the testimony of General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, given on Monday, September 10, 2007 to the Joint Armed Services Committee.

I believe that our presence is exacerbating the problems in Iraq and the desires of those polled Iraqis bear this out.

The Administration claims that the surge is working. I suggest that where the surge is working, it is because of an influx of American troops in concentrated areas. Of course this was part of the surge strategy, but from all reports I've heard and read, the fact remains that those troop levels are not sustainable. Once those troops shrink, will the positive effects be lost? How much more money and how many more lives have to be given over to this situation before enough is enough?

Meanwhile, our troops are dying, Iraqis are dying and our nation is put in a position where we are supporting both sides of a civil war. It is time to end this occupation.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

(My name here)
(My address here)

Iraqis Say Surge Is Not Working, By Gary Langer, ABC News
Barely a quarter of Iraqis say their security has improved in the past six months, a negative assessment of the surge in U.S. forces that reflects worsening public attitudes across a range of measures, even as authorities report some progress curtailing violence.

Apart from a few scattered gains, a new national survey by ABC News, the BBC and the Japanese broadcaster NHK finds deepening dissatisfaction with conditions in Iraq, lower ratings for the national government and growing rejection of the U.S. role there.

More Iraqis say security in their local area has gotten worse in the last six months than say it's gotten better, 31 percent to 24 percent, with the rest reporting no change. Far more, six in 10, say security in the country overall has worsened since the surge began, while just one in 10 sees improvement.

More directly assessing the surge itself - a measure that necessarily includes views of the United States, which are highly negative - 65 to 70 percent of Iraqis say it's worsened rather than improved security, political stability and the pace of redevelopment alike.

There are some improvements, but they're sparse and inconsistent. Thirty-eight percent in Anbar province, a focal point of the surge, now rate local security positively; none did so six months ago. In Baghdad fewer now describe themselves as feeling completely unsafe in their own neighborhoods - 58 percent, down from 84 percent. Yet other assessments of security in these locales have not improved, nor has the view nationally.

Overall, 41 percent report security as their greatest personal problem, down seven points from 48 percent in March. But there's been essentially no change in the number who call it the nation's top problem (56 percent, with an additional 28 percent citing political or military issues). And there are other problems aplenty to sour the public's outlook - lack of jobs, poor power and fuel supply, poor medical services and many more.