Harry Reid: Murtha’s wrong; we still hope to lose this war

Fearful that John Murtha’s declaration, “The surge is working,” might discourage the fascists in Iraq, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid today tried to emphasize the negative, and gave the enemy hope that Congress would cut off funds to our troops unless President Bush agreed to a surrender date.

The Politico reports:

“The surge hasn’t accomplished its goals, as we see right here; 2007 is the deadliest year of the war. Violence is as it was two years ago in the fall of 2007,” Reid said. “... We’re involved, still, in an intractable civil war.”

Reid’s comments show that Democratic leaders in Washington may not be on the same page as their rank-and-file members when it comes to interpreting results on the ground in Iraq. Reid, as a leader, still needs to maintain some negotiating leverage as Democrats try to figure out a way to give President Bush some $50 billion in temporary war finding while at least attaching some strings to the money so it's not a blank check for the war.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) took to the Senate floor on Monday to highlight the “stunning reversal” in Iraq, and chided Democrats, saying “unfortunately, talk of congratulations is scarce among the anti-war left.”

Goal of reconciliation. Never mind that last month was the quietest November for U.S. troops since the 2003 invasion. Reid doesn’t want to trouble the enemy with the real facts of “the surge.”

Reid complains that, in the five or six months of “the surge,” Iraq’s factions haven’t been able to reach a national reconciliation. Meanwhile, in the nearly five years of the Iraq war, leading American Democrats have been unable to set aside their hatred and reach a national reconciliation that would guarantee the victory of democracy in Iraq.

Frank Warner

Comments

[Neo]

Stupid politician who hasn't been able to pass a federal budget for the current year of his own country, complains about another country moving too slow.

[jj mollo]

Specter's assessment of Harry Reid's ability to lead the Senate, by way of Instapundit.