Democrats Usage of Petraeus and Gates Quotes is Misleading and Out of Context

Via email:

Democrats have repeatedly cited two specific quotes from General David Petraeus and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in a shameless effort to bolster an already weak case for surrender dates. The frequently used quotations would leave one with the false impression that the General and Secretary somehow support Democrats' plan to hamstring America 's troops and undermine our generals. Unfortunately, this impression is not just highly misleading, it makes little sense.

PETRAEUS SAYS "MILITARY ACTION IS NECESSARY"

Take last night when House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), who was on the House floor supporting the Dems' slow-bleed strategy, selectively quoted General Petraeus saying, "there is no military solution to a problem like that in Iraq."

Left on its own that line packs a punch. But in the same press conference from which Democrats cherry-picked that quote, General Petraeus actually insisted that in order to succeed in Iraq :

"Military action is necessary to help improve security..."

In other words, Petraeus' new strategy requires political, diplomatic, and military force alike to succeed. Democrats mistakenly want to abandon the military component, which Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) says is "lost." David Broder took this mindset to task in a column for the Washington Post this morning:

"Instead of reinforcing the important proposition ... that a military strategy for Iraq is necessary but not sufficient to solve the myriad political problems of that country, Reid has mistakenly argued that the military effort is lost but a diplomatic-political strategy can still succeed."

GATES CALLS DEMOCRATS' SURRENDER DATES "A BAD MISTAKE"

This same style of selective quoting has been applied to Secretary Gates, whom Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) and Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-WI) have all quoted saying, "the strong feelings expressed in the Congress about the timetables probably has had a positive impact...in terms of communicating to the Iraqis that this is not an open-ended commitment." But in his very next sentence, Secretary Gates said:

"That said, I've been pretty clear that I think the enactment of specific deadlines would be a bad mistake."

There is a big difference between expressing "strong feelings" and actually voting to undermine the mission of American troops fighting the Global War on Terror. Democrats crossed that line last night when they voted for the "specific deadlines" Secretary Gates says are "a bad mistake."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said in a statement that "the President should carefully consider the views of his Secretary of Defense in making judgment on this legislation." House Republicans agree with the sentiment, and believe Congress should immediately move to pass a clean troop funding bill that gives our soldiers the resources they need to succeed in the Global War on Terror.