The House This Week
On Monday, a self-proclaimed feminist group calling itself Code Pink, was thrown out of a rare joint hearing of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees where General David Patraeus, accompanied by U.S. ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, warned that “a premature drawdown of our forces would likely have devastating consequences.” The group inappropriately disrupted the hearing for several minutes, even drawing the ire of the Democrat leader of the committee, Representative Ike Skelton (D-MO).
Earlier in the day, conservatives noted that liberals were engaging in an all too familiar game of character assassination and using tactics designed to discredit the General’s testimony. The Code Pink outburst was partially sparked by a full-page advertisement in the New York Times placed by an anti-war liberal group, reading “General Petraeus or General Betray US? Cooking the Books for the White House.”
I supported the reinforcements in Iraq, and was very pleased to hear from General Patraeus that the surge was working but was appalled by the disruption that occurred during his testimony and the attacks made on him in the press.
General Petraeus has been praised by both sides of the aisle for doing a good job, and he did not deserve this ridiculous attack on his character. I am disgusted by it, and I don’t think the American people are fooled by the actions of these groups either. I along with numerous colleagues rely on the reports from our commanders, and they deserve a respectful environment when making such reports to Congress.
Code Pink identifies itself as a group that embraces communism and have publicly applauded brutal dictators like Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro.
Public Responds
According to a Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, 43 percent of Americans favor the recommendation made by General David Petraeus to withdraw 30,000 soldiers from Iraq but leave 130,000 troops in place at least through the summer; 38 percent are opposed and 19 percent are not sure.
Failure of Democrat Congress
In a speech to the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce, Rocklin Chamber of Commerce and Roseville Chamber of Commerce, I reiterated my displeasure with the 110th Congress: the Democrats have failed our country on immigration policy. While campaigning on the promise to fix our broken immigration system, once in power, their first attempt at immigration reform was a bill that would have granted an estimated 12-20 million illegal immigrants amnesty; the tax and spend policies of liberals are alive and well in the House of Representatives; and in an effort to pay for the ten-year cost of a $251 billion children’s health insurance bill, Democrats included a tax increase for most Americans.
Quote of the Week
“It is becoming increasingly apparent that these extreme liberal groups are dedicated to recipes for failure in the war on terror in order to benefit their own standings. It is shocking, counterproductive and downright un-American.” -- Congressman John Doolittle after having viewed the hearing and witnessing the fiasco where Code Pink activists disrupt American process, laud communism and dictators. September 10, 2007.
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