Say Anything Blog

This article from The Nation is getting picked up all over the blogosphere:

Did General David Petraeus today suggest that the war in Iraq may not make the United States safer?

During his second day of appearances on Capitol Hill, Petraeus this afternoon appeared before the Senate armed services committee. Fortified with charts and graphs, he presented the same we’re-on-the-right-course pitch he delivered to the House armed services and foreign affairs committees (on Monday) and to the Senate foreign relations committee (this morning). During the Q&A round at the armed services committee, Senator John Warner ☼, the Virginia Republican who used to chair the committee and who has called for beginning a disengagement in Iraq, took a few sharp (albeit respectful) jabs at Petraeus, noting that one intelligence report after another has said that political reconciliation in Iraq could be a bridge too far. He then asked Petraeus a pointed question: “Do you feel that [Iraq war] is making America safer”?

Petraeus paused before responding. He then said: “I believe this is indeed the best course of action to achieve our objectives in Iraq.”

That was, of course, a non-answer. And Warner wasn’t going to let the general dodge the bullet. He repeated the question: “Does the [Iraq war] make America safer?”

Petraeus replied, “I don’t know, actually. I have not sat down and sorted in my own mind.”

Don’t know? Is it possible that the war is not making the United States safer?

From the way The Nation frames Petraeus’ question-and-answer with Warner it sure sounds like he either doesn’t believe the war in Iraq has made us safer, or at least has no opinion on it.  Yet from Petraeus’ actual testimony we find this:

SEN. EVAN BAYH (D-IN): “I thought you had an excellent, very candid response to Senator Warner’s question and that was - he asked you - going forward the recommendations that you’re making, will that make America safer? And you said that you could not answer that question because that was beyond the purview of your — beyond the scope of your responsibilities.”

PETRAEUS: “Well, I thank you actually, Senator, for an opportunity to address that, frankly. Candidly, I have been so focused on Iraq that drawing all the way out was something that for a moment there was a bit of a surprise.

“But I think that we have very, very clear and very serious national interests in Iraq. Trying to achieve those interests — achieving those interests has very serious implications for our safety and for our security. So I think the answer really, to come back to it is yes. But again, frankly, having focused down and down and down, that was something that really on first glance is something that I would let others - ”

BAYH: “I judge by your response to Senator Graham, that you have given that a little additional thought.”

PETRAEUS: “Immediately afterwards actually.”

BAYH: “That happens to all of us, including those of us on this side of the table.”

Funny how General Petraeus only says things the left agrees with when they take his statements out of context.