Is the American public prepared to be in Iraq for 9, 10 more years?

 

by: Susan H

Sun Aug 26, 2007 at 16:48:16 PM EDT

Hat tip to Firedoglake.com for highlighting this article about Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.)recent trip to Iraq.

A co-founder of the House Out of Iraq Caucus, Schakowsky saw only fleeting glimpses of Iraqis' day-to-day life during her one-day trip. The few times she ventured out of the Green Zone, she was in a helicopter or a speeding convoy, soldiers hanging out of the windows with machine guns, obscuring the view. She heard about dire power and water shortages, yet saw nothing firsthand.

But the military presentations left her stunned. Schakowsky said she jotted down Petraeus's words in a small white notebook she had brought along to record her impressions. Her neat, looping handwriting filled page after page, and she flipped through to find the Petraeus section. " 'We will be in Iraq in some way for nine to 10 years,' " Schakowsky read carefully. She had added her own translation: "Keep the train running for a few months, and then stretch it out. Just enough progress to justify more time."

"I felt that was a stretch and really part of a PR strategy -- just like the PR strategy that initially led up to the war in the first place," Schakowsky said. Petraeus, she said, "acknowledged that if the policymakers decide that we need to withdraw, that, you know, that's what he would have to do. But he felt that in order to win, we'd have to be there nine or 10 years."

Next time you find yourself in a discussion about Iraq and "the surge" promise to send them the Jan Schakowsky link concerning her fact finding mission.

Susan H :: Is the American public prepared to be in Iraq for 9, 10 more years?

Source: Below Boston:: Is the American public prepared to be in Iraq for 9, 10 more years?

 

Technorati tags: Iraq, Iraq war, surge, American Public, society