20070421 Dems exit stage left

DEMS EXIT STAGE LEFT

April 27^th, 2007

At Last Night's Debate, Dems Pandered To Extreme Left And Defied Experts In Their Call For Withdrawal From Iraq

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DEMS PANDER TO THE LEFT WITH IRAQ RHETORIC

In Their First 2008 Presidential Debate, Dems Supported Arbitrary Withdrawal From Iraq :

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) Commended Democrat Leaders For Passing Bill That Set A Date For Arbitrary Withdrawal From Iraq. Sen. Clinton: "I'm very proud of the Congress under the leadership of Speaker Pelosi and Leader Reid for putting together a piece of legislation which says ... we will limit the number of days [troops] can be deployed, and we will start to bring them home." (Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, MSNBC Democrat Presidential Candidates' Debate, Orangeburg, SC, 4/26/07)

• Sen. Clinton: "If this president does not get us out of Iraq, when I am president, I will." (Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, MSNBC Democrat Presidential Candidates' Debate, Orangeburg, SC, 4/26/07)

Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) Echoed Sen. Clinton's Praise For Withdrawal. Sen. Obama: "I'm proud of the fact that I put forward a plan in January that mirrors what Congress ultimately adopted. And it says there's no military solution to this. We've got to ... begin a phased withdrawal." (Sen. Barack Obama, MSNBC Democrat Presidential Candidates' Debate, Orangeburg, SC, 4/26/07)

• Sen. Obama: "[I]t's time to end this war." (Sen. Barack Obama, MSNBC Democrat Presidential Candidates' Debate, Orangeburg, SC, 4/26/07)

Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE): "[T]he President Should Start Off By Not Vetoing The Language Which ... We Just Passed Today Saying, "Begin To Drawdown American Troops Right Now..." (Sen. Joseph Biden, MSNBC Democrat Presidential Candidates' Debate, Orangeburg, SC, 4/26/07)

Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM): "We Must End This War. This Is What I Would Do If Were President Today. I Would Withdraw All Of Our Troops, Including Residual Troops, By The End Of This Calendar Year." (Gov. Bill Richardson, MSNBC Democrat Presidential Candidates' Debate, Orangeburg, SC, 4/26/07)

Dems Refuse To Acknowledge The Consequences Of Withdrawal

Top General In Iraq Warned That Withdrawal Would Lead To Increased Violence And Ethnic Cleansing:

Gen. David Petraeus, The Top Military Commander In Iraq, Said A Precipitous Withdrawal Would Lead To Ethnic Cleansing And No Positive Outcomes. Gen. Petraeus: "I think that sectarian groups would obviously begin to stake out their turf, try to expand their turf. They would do that by greatly increased ethnic cleansing ... There is the possibility, certainly, of an international terrorist organization truly getting a grip on some substantial piece of Iraq. There is the possibility of problems in the global economy, should in fact this cause a disruption to the flow of oil -- and a number of ot her potential outcomes, none of which are positive." (Gen. Petraeus, Committee On Armed Services, U.S. Senate, Hearing, 1/23/07)

• Gen. Petraeus: "My sense is that there would be an increase in sectarian violence, a resumption of sectarian violence, were the presence of our forces and Iraqi forces at that time to be reduced and not to be doing what it is that they are doing right now." (Gen. David Petraeus, Press Conference, 4/26/07)

FLASHBACK: Sens. Clinton, Obama, And Biden Voted To Unanimously Confirm General Petraeus To Be The Top Military Commander In Iraq. (Petraeus Confirmation, Roll Call Vote #33: Approved 81-0: R 37-0; D 42-0; I 2-0, 1/26/07, Clinton, Obama, And Biden Voted Yea)

The National Intelligence Estimate Report Warned Against Precipitous Withdrawal:

The National Intelligence Estimate States That If Coalition Forces Were "Rapidly Withdrawn" There Would Be "Adverse Consequences For National Reconciliation." "If Coalition forces were withdrawn rapidly ... we judge that this almost certainly would lead to a significant increase in the scale and scope of sectarian conflict in Iraq, intensify Sunni resistance to the Iraqi Government, and have adverse consequences for national reconciliation." (National Intelligence Estimate Report, "Prospects For Iraq's Stability," www.dni.gov, 1/07)

• "If Such A Rapid Withdrawal Were To Take Place, We Judge That The ISF Would Be Unlikely To Survive As A Non-Sectarian National Institution; Neighboring Countries--Invited By Iraqi Factions Or Unilaterally--Might Intervene Openly In The Conflict." (National Intelligence Estimate Report, "Prospects For Iraq's Stability," www.dni.gov, 1/07)

The Iraq Study Group Said That A Premature American Departure From Iraq Would Have "A Number Of Adverse Consequences":

Iraq Study Group: "We Also Rejected The Immediate Withdrawal Of Our Troops, Because We Believe That So Much Is At Stake." ("The Iraq Study Group Report," 12/6/06, p. 50)

• Iraq Study Group: "A Premature American Departure From Iraq Would Almost Certainly Produce Greater Sectarian Violence And Further Deterioration Of Conditions, Leading To A Number Of The Adverse Consequences Outlined Above." ("The Iraq Study Group Report," 12/6/06, p. 30)
  
  

• Iraq Study Group: "The Near-Term Results Would Be A Significant Power Vacuum, Greater Human Suffering, Regional Destabilization, And A Threat To The Global Economy. Al Qaeda Would Depict Our Withdrawal As A Historic Victory." ("The Iraq Study Group Report," 12/6/06, p. 30)

The Iraqi Government Said That Timetables For Withdrawal Would Undermine Political Progress In Iraq:

Iraqi Spokesman Ali Al-Dabbagh: "We see some negative signs in the decision [to pass the Democrat timetable legislation] because it sends wrong signals to some sides that might think of alternatives to the political process ..." ("Iraqi Spokesman Criticizes Senate Vote," The Associated Press, 4/26/07)

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