Posted by
Burorambo on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 1:45:21 PM
They made speeches to impress their colleagues and constituencies. They asked General Patraeus and Ambassador Crocker to justify themselves, justify the decisions of their superiors, and predict the future. In general, members of the Senate and the House acted like lawyers for the prosecution (democrats) or the defense (republicans). What they did not do was behave like the partcipants in the problem that they in fact are and ask the following question:
If leaving precipitously is not an option with you, and staying interminably is not an option with us, what do you need in terms of resources and support to conclude your activities in Iraq within the next (pick a number) months?
Congress is about the business of allocating funds and resources for the military. Congress can threaten the administration and the military and those of us who hate defeat with severing funds for the war in Iraq. Congress also has the power to threaten the enemy by allocating additional resources and committing to ending the war successfuly as well as quickly.