Civilian Harry Reid Calls Military Leaders 'Incompetent' and 'Yes Men'
Thursday, June 14, 2007 at 11:40PM Bottom Line Up Front: Harry Reid insults military leaders despite his lack of military service.
The Politico reported today that Democratic Senator Harry Reid, in an interview Tuesday with liberal bloggers, called outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff “incompetent.” Reid, who has no military experience whatsoever, also connoted that head U.S. commander in Iraq GEN David Petraeus is a suck up to the President on the war; a yes man “not in touch with what is really going on in Iraq or just trying to make the president feel good.” When exactly was the last time Harry Reid was on the ground in Iraq?
This is his quote about GEN Pace:
“I guess the president, uh, he’s gotten rid of Pace because he could not get him confirmed here in the Senate… Pace is also a yes-man for the president and I told him to his face, I laid it out to him last time he came to see me, I told him what an incompetent man I thought he was.”
Holy Cow, what a despicable person Harry Reid is. The Politico went on to say this:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “incompetent” during an interview Tuesday with a group of liberal bloggers, a comment that was never reported.
Reid made similar disparaging remarks about Army Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said several sources familiar with the interview.
Reid, who was bashed by Republicans for suggesting earlier this year that the Iraq war was “lost,” is lashing out at top commanders while putting the finishing touches on a plan to force a series of votes on Iraq designed exclusively to make Republicans up for reelection in 2008 go on record in favor of continuing an unpopular war.
Reid, the senators and aides said, does not expect any of the Iraq measures to pass but hopes the effort will drive a deep enough wedge between wavering Republicans and Bush that, by September, Republican senators will break with the president and help end the war.
Vote and vote and vote again
“We want them to vote and vote and vote again” on Iraq, said a senior Democratic senator, speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss party strategy. “They are going to have to vote on Iraq until they are sick of it.”
Rest assured that “senior Democratic senator” is Joe Biden. It is totally consistent with his speeches on the floor of the Senate and he essentially said the same thing in the recent Democratic Presidential debates. This is their strategy, not to make America better while they have the (slim) majority in the House and Senate, but to beat down day in and day out the President and his policy in Iraq for political supremacy.
Besides his comments about Pace and Petraeus, the Nevada Democrat also announced that he wants to hold more votes on ending or scaling back the U.S. military presence in Iraq.
He said Democrats would use an upcoming Defense authorization bill to continue the struggle with Bush over the conduct of the war, especially Bush’s “surge” plan to send more U.S. forces to Baghdad and surrounding regions in order to quell growing sectarian violence.
Reid’s latest efforts, according to Democratic senators and aides, are meant to lay the groundwork for an expected September showdown with Bush and GOP leaders over Iraq.
Of course, I predicted this.
Other than a minimum-wage increase and a stem cell research bill, which Bush is expected to veto, Democrats have “not been able to push through anything that touches all Americans on a daily basis,” noted one Democratic strategist.
However, Reid believes that Democratic proposals, even if they are vetoed by Bush or blocked by Senate Republicans, will demonstrate the “sharp philosophical divide” between the two parties on almost any issue, from Iraq to taxes to health care.
Reid believes illustrating that contrast will give voters, and even more importantly, Democratic senatorial candidates and incumbents, a platform to run on in 2008.
Reid was quoted in USA Today and the video in this dialogue:
Reid said he also was concerned about Petraeus, who told USA Today this week that there are “astonishing signs of normalcy” throughout the majority of Baghdad. Petraeus was quoted as saying, “I’m talking about professional soccer leagues with real grass field stadiums, several amusement parks, big ones, markets that are very vibrant.”
Reid said the remark “gives you a feeling that he’s not in touch with what is really going on in Iraq or just trying to make the president feel good.”
Harry Reid has no intention to listen to commanders on the ground no matter what. This is the USA Today article Reid was talking about: Petraeus says security crackdown working
The fact is that a car bomb explosion every day in Iraq doesn’t represent the entire country. All one need do is go to the Pentagon Channel to see video after video of soccer tournaments in Iraq, people buying at markets and people at the park. Why? Because Iraq is a country of almost 27 million people and 50-100 dead a day do not represent the entire picture. This is a country whose unemployment rate is 30% lower than Venezuela’s, one of Pres. Bush’s biggest critics.
RNC Chairman Robert M. “Mike” Duncan released the following statement:
“Harry Reid doesn’t understand that there are some lines you just don’t cross. There is room for him to express reasonable disagreement about our path forward in Iraq. But to attack our military is unacceptable. To attack General Petraeus, the man actually leading our troops on the ground, is reprehensible. And to call the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, someone who has served our nation for his entire adult life with honor and distinction, ‘incompetent’ is beyond the pale. Harry Reid once said ‘This war is lost.’ What he’s really lost, apparently, is any semblance of respect he might have once had for the best and bravest armed forces in the world.”
“Incompetent” is the only word Reid seems to know. More importantly, I think it’s a Freudian evaluation of himself.
Wake Up America has great commentary.
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Reader Comments (9)
Harry Reid, the man who proved he was unable to lead successfully as his morally bankrupt stop-funding-the-war bill died, turned his anger upon military leaders when in fact the blame lies with his own limp leadership.
Where have all the great leaders gone?
Are you sure Harry wasn't looking in a mirror when he said this? or maybe he's projecting his own self-image onto whoever he sees.
Well, that makes me want to vomit.
How disgusting. Like I expected anything else, though.
Harry Reid is dispicable and he sure has a lot of gal to attack those who are keeping him safe and free.
Let's see him out there in the frontlines. He wouldn't last a minute.
Harry Reid is losing credibility on a national level. The only people who like him are the nuts, fruits and flakes of the anti-war movement. He says GEN Petraeus is out of touch with the situation on the ground in Baghdad... PETRAEUS LIVES IN BAGHDAD! This is his 3rd year long tour to Iraq since 2001. Reid lives where????? And WHO is out of touch? Give me a break!
The comments at The Politico under this story are hilarious! I'm happy to see so many sane Americans commenting about Harry Reid. Here's a sampling:
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It goes on. Great comments!
Surprised, that Nevada, the only state to recognize whoring as a licensed profession, sends one to Congress, repeatedly? Rhetorical, that question is. I hope Reid (Prostitute, Nevada) is doing his job without the benefit of latex; he deserves the fruits of his labors.
Ouch!
Dean Barnett had a couple of good posts, including going over General Pace's credentials.
Thanks for the link, wordsmith. That's the first time I'd seen the Dennis Miller rant. I recorded it but didn't look when it got to his segment because he's meanspirited, but he was right on about Reid. A little unnecessarily rough, but right.