Sen. Harry Reid: Idiot or liar?

Sen. Harry Reid says that because U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus believes the Iraq war cannot be won by military might alone, Petraeus agrees with Reid that “this war is lost.”

It is possible that Reid does not understand Petraeus’ position that the armed battle still is an important part of the war, that the shooting isn’t over, and that, with military might as one component, the war still can be won.

Yes, it’s possible Reid is an idiot and cannot understand.

It’s possible, too, that Reid is a liar and only pretends not to understand.

Message for the troops. When CNN reporter Dana Bash interviewed Reid two days ago, Reid went as far to say that Petraeus has let our GIs know they’re “fighting for a lost cause.”

“General Petraeus has told them that,” Reid said.

Now, of course Gen. Petraeus has not told U.S. troops they’re fighting for a lost cause.

So Reid’s spreading of this false story may be evidence that he is an idiot.

And he could be liar.

20 percent is nothing? When did Petraeus tell the troops they were fighting for a lost cause? Bash asked Reid. Reid said Petraeus has estimated the military effort is only 20 percent of the war, which means the war cannot be won militarily, which means it’s a lost cause.

Reid could be an idiot.

Or a liar.

Reid said, “I stick with General Petraeus” on finding the Iraq war “a lost cause.” But when confronted with Petraeus’ comment that the recent troop “surge” is showing some progress in Iraq, Reid says,  “I don’t believe him.”

The Reid filter. In other words, if Petraeus says military force is part of winning the Iraq war, Reid reports Petraeus as saying military force can have no effect.

If Petraeus says the war can be won, Reid reports Petraeus as saying the war can’t be won.

If Petraeus says the “surge” shows promise, Reid, like a cornered rat, says Petraeus is wrong. Reid will “stick with” Petraeus, yet not believe Petraeus.

Reid an idiot? Reid a liar?

‘A lost cause.’ Here is that CNN “Situation Room” exchange between Bash and Reid:

Dana Bash: The phrase “the war is lost” really touched a nerve.

Do you stand by that -- that -- that comment?

Harry Reid: General Petraeus has said that only 20 percent of the war can be won militarily. He’s the man on the ground there now. He said 80 percent of the war has to be won diplomatically, economically and politically. I agree with General Petraeus.

Now, that is clear and I certainly believe that.

Bash: But, sir, General Petraeus has not said the war is lost.

I just want to ask you again...

Reid: General -- General Petraeus has said the war cannot be won militarily. He said that. And President Bush is doing nothing economically. He is doing nothing diplomatically. He is not doing even the minimal requested by the Iraq Study Group.

So I -- I stick with General Petraeus. I have no doubt that the war cannot be won militarily, and that’s what I said last Thursday and I stick with that.

Bash: Arlen Specter, a Republican, but somebody who, in many ways, is like you, a critic of the president’s Iraq policy. He said this. He said: “For men and women who are over in Iraq to have somebody of Senator Reid’s stature say that the war is lost, it is just very, very demoralizing and not necessary.”

Is there something to that, an 18- and 19-year-old person in the service in Iraq who is serving, risking their lives, in some cases losing their life, hearing somebody like you back in Washington saying that they’re fighting for a lost cause?

Reid: General Petraeus has told them that.

Bash: How has he said that?

Reid: He said the war can’t be won militarily. He said that. I mean he said it. He’s the commander on the ground there. Are they critical of him?

Bash: But, sir, there’s a difference between that and saying the war is lost, don’t you think?

Reid: Well, I -- as I said, maybe it’s a choice of words. I mean General Petraeus has said the war cannot be won militarily.

Doesn’t every soldier going there know that he’s said that?

I think so.

Bash: You talked several times about General Petraeus. You know that he is here in town. He was at the White House today, sitting with the president in the Oval Office and the president said that he wants to make it clear that Washington should not be telling him, General Petraeus, a commander on the ground in Iraq, what to do, particularly, the president was talking about Democrats in Congress.

He also said that General Petraeus is going to come to the Hill and make it clear to you that there is progress going on in Iraq, that the so-called surge is working. Will you believe him when he says that?

Reid: No, I don’t believe him, because it’s not happening. All you have to do is look at the facts.

The factors are this has been going on for three months. American deaths are at the highest they’ve been in two years. We have – it’s like a balloon.

Things have quieted down a little in Baghdad, but just a little bit. They’ve even moved up in the Kurdish area now. Have tremendous explosions up there, killing two dozen people today. The situation in Iraq is not getting better, and it won’t until we change course.

Course to defeat. For Reid, of course, “changing course” always means surrender to the fascists. He says he’s for “success” in Iraq, but he does everything in his power to defeat democracy there.

Is he an idiot? Is he a liar? Or is Reid something so shameful it has no name?

Frank Warner

2009 Update: Harry Reid on Iraq: This war is won, thanks to me.

Comments

[George]

The choice between idiot and liar is not mutually exclusive. I say he is both.

[Christopher Taylor]

Reid has explicitly said that he will go to the reports that General Patreus gives but won't beleive anything that does not fit the "we must leave Iraq" narrative.

That's some Grade A stupidity, at the very least.

[Frank Warner]

Right now, Bush and Petraeus are treating Reid with kid gloves. They want to get past the Senate funding votes before they even consider putting Reid in his place.

But this craven undermining of the battle for democracy can't be allowed to continue without response, day after day.

It's remarkable that the Republicans don't have one leader, with McCain as a possible (but unreliable) exception, who is capable of showing these defeatists for the craven friends of fascism they are.

[LevisAct]

That mugwump of Democrats representing Nevada should speak his ignorant lies to his wife, if he is married. I saw him on the tube gleefully announcing with his 'possum' and 'sickening' grin, "This war is going to win us some Senate seats and the White House". This is all the old goat wants is power. His blantant lies are beyond the pale!

He is the top dog of the Democrats and they have an equally power hungry Speaker who have all the power any political party needs, yet they do not know what to do with it...except subpoena.

It continues to astound me these political Democrat hacks care only about winning the next election and not one whit about the American people and especially the military warriors and their families.

If anyone votes for a Democrat to represent them and this country in the 2008 election...You also need help.

Below are a few lines from one of history's greatest Senators speaking to Reid and his ilk:

"A nation can survive its fools and even the ambitious, but it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is formidable, for he is known and carries his banners openly against the city, but the traitor moves among those within the gates freely, his sly whispers rustling through the alley and heard in the very halls of government itself. He rots the soul of a nation; he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city; he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist."
Cicero

The man should be up for Treason!

Semper Fi,
Levi (LevisAct)
1stSgt. of Marines (RET)

[LevisAct]

The topic question is: "is harry reid an idiot or liar?" the simple answer is: 'BOTH'!

Semper Fi,
Levi

[jj mollo]

I don't think that calling Reid a traitor is justified. The level of spin he tries to use, in order to compare himself to Petraeus, is extraordinary and qualifies, IMO, as a bald-faced lie. This is comparable to the performance of the Attorney General in his recent testimony before the Senate.

[Soldier]

Liar is hard to prove. Corrupt thief, on the other hand, has been proven in his case.

[Don't worry about it...]

Harry Reid is great! He's great because he's just one more bumbling IDIOT moron who can't say anything that doesn't end in some sort of dismay for the demoncats. He's like a wind up doll that has a retarded tape in it. You wind him up, let him make a fool of himself and the republicans take another step in the right direction without having to do anything. I love it. Now all we need is Daschle and between the two of those fools, the democrats will self destruct in less than a week. Love Harry Ried! Oh, and Harry, nice try with the letter you wrote to Limbaugh that has brought over 2 million in for the soldiers on Ebay, the one you tried, so gracefully on, to obtain credit for. Didn't work very well for ya and made you look even dumber than what we had all already been thinking, but nice try. Gotta give the retard some credit, right?