The big news about General Petraeus’ testimony before Congress came not from the General himself (what should we expect from someone hand-picked by President Bush) but from the Senators who grilled him. Each of the three contenders for President -- Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain -- was critical of current policy. But they all also spoke out against removing all US troops from Iraq.
The big news about General Petraeus’ testimony before Congress came not from the General himself (what should we expect from someone hand-picked by President Bush) but from the Senators who grilled him. Each of the three contenders for President -- Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain -- was critical of current policy. But they all also spoke out against removing all US troops from Iraq.
Obama best summarized their collective position noting that "nobody’s asking for a precipitous withdrawal."
Later this month, these Senators will vote on whether to give President Bush $100 billion more for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Peace activists and military families are demanding that Obama and Clinton lead a fillibuster on the funding request.
They note the war has already cost " trillion dollars and more than 4,000 American lives.
You can also check out my new article on Petraeus’ testimony which was published in Foreign Policy in Focus.
Did you know?
More than 245,034 veterans have filed a disability claim with the VA after returning from Iraq or Afghanistan.
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