A Big Moment from Gen. Petraeus' testimony

Republican John Warner has been a great Senator for a long time, but he's retiring. On his way out he asked General Petraeus a profound question:

"Is [the Iraq War] making America safer?"

Watch the General's answer, and check out my take in the comments section

New York City Remembers 9/11

Here's an article from the NY Times on those who remembered the 9/11 attacks at Ground Zero in Manhattan

NBC re-cap of Petraeus testimony

General Petraeus is likely to encounter tougher questioning today as he testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, because of the large number of presidential candidates sitting there. John McCain, Barak Obama, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd and Joe Biden (who chairs Foreign Relations and always has a lot to say about everything) will speak to the General.

NBC News recaps yesterday's testimony:

The Washington Post: “Army Gen. David H. Petraeus told Congress yesterday that the deployment of 30,000 more troops to Iraq has made enough progress that the additional combat forces can be pulled out by next summer, but he cautioned against ‘rushing to failure’ with a larger and speedier withdrawal… [T]he general's report and troop proposal opened a new phase in the fractious Washington debate over the future of the U.S. venture in Iraq nearly 4 1/2 years after Bush ordered an invasion to topple Saddam Hussein. From this point on, the argument will no longer be about whether to withdraw U.S. troops but about how many to pull out and how quickly.”

EJ Dionne writes, that before Petraeus “began his account of the 'substantial' progress brought about by the troop increase in Iraq, congressional critics of President Bush's policy had come to the depressing conclusion that the surge has done what the administration needed it to do. It has not won the war. It has not achieved reconciliation at the national level in Iraq. But it has bought more political time in Washington, bringing Bush closer than ever to reaching one of his main objectives: keeping large numbers of troops in Iraq beyond Election Day 2008.”

In Case No One Mentions It: Thanks, General!

Some jobs are just thankless. No matter how much credibility one enters the endeavor with, no matter how overqualified a person may be, no matter what, at the end of the day, there will be no topless girls waiting, no Blue Label tied in a red ribbon, nothing.

Commanding "The Surge", that's one of those jobs.

General David Howell Petraeus gained Nationwide notoriety early this year after being named Commander of the Multinational Force in Iraq, and was given the task of executing a new politico-military strategy that was to be implemented. The Surge. This new strategy, after all, is his idea to some degree. The General came to this post well qualified. He is one of those few people asked to perform the most arduous task, in the most public arena, at the most unpopular time, and comes more than prepared for it. He is commander under a new Secretary of Defense, so he's seen as the changing of the guard. He was confirmed in the Senate by ninety-five votes, and none against, so he's well liked. He has a master's in Public Administration and a PH.D in International Relations from Princeton, so he's a practicing academic; like a hybrid of Peter Gammons and David Wright. His leadership is touted by both the military brass, civilians and press. He comes off as confident, but cerebral, always reminding one that there's more to the mission than slogans, news clips and presidential stump-speeches.

Yet, leading up to his congressional testimony this week, there was a campaign to dismiss, discredit, and straight diss General Patraeus. He was accused of "cooking the books", as though he's some kind of pee-wee accountant from World Com. He was accused of shielding his responsibilities by hiding behind Congress and the White House. His integrity has been questioned, and his evaluations have been considered unsubstantial and inconsequential. Even if he were to surprise everyone and announce a massive removal of troops, he'd be seen as pandering to the left and of being a cut 'n runner. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

This war is not lost, and we'll never know when we win, even after we win. It's nation-building, not the Battle of the Bulge. We're fighting an adverse political environment and trying to install a representative form of government, not fighting the Confederates in Bull Run. There's a lot of gray area, and people are looking at this in too narrow a lens.

Patraeus is more than qualified to lead this fight, and he's the right guy at the right time. Not because this war and president are great, because they're not. But because General Patraeus understands the implications (mass murder, regional war, loss of U.S. credibility) and moves forward from there. That's all one can ask for. And for that, General, thanks.

Today is 9/11/07

New SAMs

In case you haven't noticed, SAM Online features 4 new bloggers: COB, Chris Sheehan (no relation), Chris Hapak and JoeMad. If you would like to blog for SAM just email us at Sammagonline@gmail.com.

Check out: Giuliani's strange trip...

The New York Times had a huge profile of former hometown Mayor Rudy Giuliani this week. Entitled "America's Mayor Goes to America" (the implication being this was his first real visit...), an extreme close up of Giuliani graced the cover with the headline: Crusader.

Again the article is massive, but it's very good, although much of it rehashed points that we already know-- it begins with 6 of the obstacles keeping Giuliani from being an ideal conservative candidate. The article's author, Matt Bai, also provides insight on Mr. Mayor's retail skills, that is his ability to connect face to face with voters, and articulate his message.

Apparently, he isn't very good at it. Even questions like whether or not he believes in God somehow come back to the resurgence of Time Square, and how there are a lot of "functioning theaters" there. Giuliani is definitely more of a wholesale politician in the model of Ronald Reagan, whom, incidentally, the mayor mentions about once every 2.4 seconds campaigning through Iowa.

For all his faults, Rudy's campaign, like his lead in the polls, has remained steady. Bai notes that the support he attracts seems to have two main roots: 1- Conservatives "desperation" to avoid another Clinton presidency, and Giuliani's appeal in swing states; 2- The Mayor's tough talk on terrorism and his rhetoric about the War on Terror overall.

On this latter point, Bai makes an interesting assessment about the difference in the way the two parties have generally come to see the terrorist threat. He does it much more eloquently and fairly than I could hope to, so you should read it yourself.

Bai also introduces us to Norman Podhoretz, who, along with a handful of other advisors, seems to be the hawk conscience of Giuliani foreign policy. Podhoretz speaks to Giuliani everyday from his home in the Hamptons, and claims the Mayor is in lock-step with his view of World War IV (for those of you scoring at home, Podhoretz refers to the Cold War as WWIII, so- good news- turns out we're actually 3-0 in World Wars).

In the end, Giuliani, like the rest of the Republican field, is very much tied to the War in Iraq. However, he is betting that the War hasn't fallen out of favor because Americans don't believe in its goal, but rather because Americans don't see a chance of success. To Giuliani, it's 1992 all over again, except this time he's being elected to clean up the streets of Baghdad instead of Brooklyn.

Critics like to poke holes in Giuliani's record, but so far he seems to exude competence. On the stump, Bai reports that Giuliani offers reasonable NYC- style solutions for national problems: Border security would be monitored by Border-stat, a computer system similar to the crime stopping Comp-stat employed by Giuliani's NYPD in the 90s. "'I could have [the boarder sealed] in 18 months to three years,' — as if he were making a reasonable bid to remodel your basement."

For Republicans, that perception of efficiency and capacity is a welcome change, and could explain why his support remains high. All in all, it seems America's Mayor is getting comfortable in America's heartland.

Fred Thompson DOESN'T scream for ice cream!!

You know its a slow day in politics when you read this note posted on MSNBC.com's cover about Fred Thompson's outright and emphatic decision not to eat ice cream. Brace yourself folks, this is not for the weak of heart.....

"On the road between Sioux City and Mason City, IA, Thompson made an unexpected stopover at Bob's Drive In in Le Mars, the self-billed "ice cream capital of the world." Le Mars, in fact, is the headquarters of Wells Blue Bunny Ice Cream, and nearly all of the diners at Bob's were Blue Bunny employees. Yet despite spending nearly 30 minutes there, walking through Bob's and shaking hands with numerous diners, Thompson re-boarded the bus -- without trying any of the town's specialties. He didn't even sit and eat one of the "Bob Dogs" with any of the diners. Afterwards a campaign spokesman jokingly justified Thompson's decision not to eat by pointing to Thompson's well-publicized diet and workout regimen."

I mean what's the point in even running anymore? Surely the treasure trove of potential donors will dry up upon hearing the news that the former Tennessee senator rebuffed an invitation to try a "Bob Dog." Who could resist Bob's secret recipe?!

Also I wasn't sure what Thompson's "well-publicized diet and workout regimen" entailed until I did some research. As it turns out the 65 year old former actor turned politician did a series of videos with Billy Banks entitled "Tae Old." Who would have thought....

Real Questions

As I watched the Republican debate on Wednesday night I felt the familiar urge to switch the channel. If I had watched the same debate with Democratic candidates I would have done the same. Why? Real questions are as hard to find as real answers. Giuliani was posed a question about his family and he responded by listing his accomplishments while mayor of NYC. Not a bad strategy but, still, it leaves me quite disillusioned about the candidates on both sides for this reason: when you are a manager/leader you need to take a stand and stick with it, no matter what people will think. The presidency is an executive position. Meaning you must find policy and execute (you may think this is obvious but legislators/presidential candidates would often rather stand around waffling than make a policy work). There is no time for sanctimony or preaching.

With this in mind, I have written a number of questions that I would like to hear the front-runners answer.

To Giuliani:

Your experience is mainly in local government. How are you prepared to handle operations on a much larger scale and to face the issues that arise when faced with heavily entrenched partisan interests that are so prevalent in Washington?

You preformed well during 9/11. Does this experience, however, make you an expert on terrorism or foreign policy? In what way are you qualified to understand geopolitics?

To Clinton:

You were the wife of a president and a highly successful lawyer in private practice. Your individual political experience, however, is limited. The Senate seat from NY is the only elected office that you have personally every held. Why should America trust you as an elected official when there are other candidates that have a longer career of public service?

To All Candidates:

What are you going to do your first day in office about Iraq? I do not want to hear some plan that is playing to your base or that people just want to hear. I want concrete steps and at least the beginnings of a solution.

Slow your role, McAuliffe!

"I'm never underestimating another B-movie actor"

- Former DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe on Fred Thompson. McAuliffe was part of the Carter administration when Ronald Reagan, a former B actor, defeated Carter and became president.

Of course Mr. McAuliffe fails to recognize that The Hunt for Red October and In the Line of Fire are NOT B movies!

In other news, Pigs were spotted flying over Baltimore, and Hell is reportedly a chilly 28 degrees (Quote of the Day: 9/6)

"... I'm not crazy about presidential candidates announcing their candidacy on these late-night shows, Leno or Letterman. I know why they're doing it... The one thing about it that bothers me -- and I'm not rooted in fuddy-duddiness here, although it may sound like it to some of you but -- is I think the office of the presidency has a certain stature, and I don't like to see it linked or tied to pop culture. Pop culture is by definition one of the low common denominators of our society.... You know damn well that presidents don't go on The Tonight Show. So why should they as candidates? When you link the stature of that office to the pop culture, I don't think the damage is instantaneous, but it's just a slow erosion of the stature of the office. It's just my instinct here. It could be anybody. This is not directed at Fred Thompson."

- Rush Limbaugh

Wait a tick, do I agree with Rush Limbaugh?

Recap: Republican Debate

Didn't watch tonight's Republican Debate? You're not alone (I didn't either, but I did watch Leno), but don't worry SAM's here to recap what went down...and what didn't (try to guess which is which).

- Rudy did the second half dressed in drag.

- When asked about his tenuous situation with his immediate family (his 2nd wife hates him, he doesn't speak with his son, his daughter publicly supports Obama) Giuliani gave an honest answer, according to Mark McCurry of NBC, "He answered this question by discussing 1) that private is different from the public and 2) that -- like many Americans -- he isn't perfect when it comes to family. 'I am not running as the perfect candidate for president,' he said. 'I am running as a human being.'"

- McCain, desparate for attention, did the second half of the debate completely naked.

- McCain harped on a theme of fiscal responsibility. He did not take a pledge not to raise taxes, but rather railed against pork spending, deficits, and unfair earmarks. To be fair, pork spending is completely out of hand, reform is long overdue, and it's only getting worse. But come on. We're at war. People are terrified of a looming recession. Terrified of al Qaeda. Terrified of China. McCain's got to get back in this thing... is pork going to get it done???

- Out of nowhere, the Law and Order "doink doink" sound echoed through the auditorium and Fred Thompson appeared standing 10 feet tall in the middle of the other candidates. The crowd was silent, and Fred bellowed "It's feeding time" and swallowed Sam Brownback whole.

- Fred didn't show, but told Jay Leno "I am running for president," just before critiquing the debate process and reminding voters how early in the campaign it is. And he's right on both counts, incidentally.

- Giuliani gave a heads up to Democrats who hope to run against him in 2012 when he said: "It is my intention to lower taxes." Not exactly a "read my lips" moment, but it was close...

- When asked by Leno if he was for the war when it began, Thompson said he was. In his answer, Thompson sought to remind Americans that if we hadn't gone to do what we did "Saddam would be continuing his nuclear weapons program."

- Upon hearing that answer I shouted at the television "WHAT NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM?" and my head exploded

Lessons Forgotten

Recently, I read Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's book about the last year of the Nixon presidency, titled "The Final Days." The book details all the legal and political maneuvering by Nixon's White House aides, while they try to contain Watergate, and convince the president to resign. This whole time, which seems to take place between June '73, to Nixon's resignation on August 9, 1974, the president is quite unhinged. He never seems capable of making complete, coherent statements, people worry about his mental stability, and, at times, his closest aides believe Nixon may commit suicide. The book is an insightful look into the machinations of a White House in free fall.

One aspect of the book is quite troubling, though. Although it's never explicit, the constant absence of decision-making by the President is wrought throughout the book. One gets the sense that the President is not focused on domestic nor international matters, and how could he? His political future, not to mention that of his office, was at stake. Still, the deliberations and executions of key decisions by unelected officials ought to be more than disconcerting, for people re-elected Nixon to make the tough choices, not be in bed all morning while his Chief of Staff, General Haig, ran the White House, and, essentially, the country.

It's interesting, the old adage: The more things change, the more they stay the same. Nine-Eleven was the beginning of a new era, far different from the Cold War. Yet, at the helm is a man whom many of us wouldn't trust with our mock mutual funds, let alone the national defense. Like Nixon, Mr. Bush has been able to put up a facade of a stalwart, straight-shooting Texan who we could feel comfortable in being led by. The escape and vacationing of Bin Laden, the countless miscalculations in Iraq, among other foreign policy initiatives that this man has put America through, has once again opened our eyes to what it means to be President.

It shouldn't be about taking the advice of experienced ideologues, and going with your "gut". The analyses and synthesis of information should be part of the regimen a president uses to make decisions. This is a new era in foreign policy, but with American soldiers in foreign hostile lands, an economy slipping and China rising, should it matter why we have a dumb president.

Big Night

The Republican race takes center stage as candidates debate in Durham, NC... well, most of the candidates debate. Fred Thompson, who is scheduled to announce officially tomorrow on his website, will instead go on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. But not to worry, voters!-- Team Fred is running a TV commercial during the debate.

"On the next president's watch, our country will make decisions that will affect our lives and our families far into the future," Thompson says in the ad. "We can't allow ourselves to become a weaker, less prosperous and more divided nation."

So that takes care of that...

To be fair, though, it's not like there won't be a half-dozen other debates before the first ballots are cast.

They're baaaaack

The NY Times political blog, The Caucus, reports that the House and Senate are back in Washington and back in session today. Coming up, they'll be dealing with issues of government spending, Iraq and who had the "raddest" summer vacation (my money is on Maryland Senator Barbara McKulski). Check out the link above for a full preview.

50 to Hillary: I'm feelin' you

"I'd like to see Hillary Clinton be president. It would be nice to see a woman be the actual president and ... this is a way for us to have Bill Clinton be president again, and he did a great job during his term," that's 50 aka Ferrari F-50 giving Senator Hillary Clinton a ringing endorsement for the presidency.

Ben Smith from the Politico notes that "backpack rappers" (unsigned, mixtape artists) are reportedly pulling for Sen. Obama, while more established stars like Mr. Cent prefer Sen. Clinton-- which, Smith says, "has a certain logic to it."

For her part, Sen. Clinton says 50's always been her favorite rapper, and his romantic ode "Thug Love" always "hit close to home." While we can only speculate what the Senator meant by that comment, I think the following lyrics say it all:

Ay yo I treat you like you need to be treated like you're special
Tie your hands to the bedpost when I caress you
When I met you it was Guess and Gap
Now it's Gucci and Prada
Took you from being a nine to being a dime
You complain that we don't spend time
When I'm OT on the grind going hard for mine
Yo when shorty say she hate me
You know she mean she love me
When she play me close at the bar
That mean she want some Bubbly

Quote of the Day 9/3

"She was one of the weakest national security advisors in US history. Her inexperience and her mistakes in that job have shaped the world and colored the choices she must handle as secretary of state... The invasion of Iraq, the missed opportunity with Iran, the breach in relations with Europe, the Arab anger at a perceived bias against the Palestinians -- all of these problems were the direct result of decisions she helped make in the White House. Now, as secretary of state, she tried mightily -- and with limited success -- to unravel the Gordian knots she tied in George W. Bush's first term."

- From The Confidante, a new book by Gordon Kessler of the Washington Post, about former National Security Advisor and current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Kessler spent years researching this anticipated book, which is due out next week. Kessler regularly travels with the Secretary on trips around the world, and interviewed her and others from the Justice Department for The Confidante.

The Associated Foreign Press reports:

The foreign policy failures under Rice's watch include the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon in mid-2006, which "may have marked an ominous turning point -- the decline of American power in the region," Kessler writes.

The author also points to North Korea's nuclear tests in October 2006, which he says the Bush administration could have avoided, and the long stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Rice has also never been personally engaged in efforts to end the humanitarian tragedy in Sudan's war-torn region of Darfur, Kessler writes.

One of her few bright spots is the US nuclear deal with India, which was negotiated soon after she took the job and still needs to be finalized.

For his book, Kessler, who often travels with Rice on her trips around the world, interviewed Rice several State Department officials, giving him new insight into negotiations between Rice and foreign leaders as as well as her private talks with Bush.

The secretary of state is very secretive about her personal life, but Kessler was able to catch a glimpse of the non-official Rice, learning about how she helped a friend in a financial pinch.

"I think I tried to be relatively balanced," Kessler told AFP. "I tried to be very clear minded."

Kessler is not yet ready to write off Rice, who plans to remain on the job until the end of the Bush presidency, as a failure.

"It is too early to make that kind of judgment," Kessler said. "At the moment though, it does not look very good."

Labor Day: U-S-A! U-S-A!

No thanks to me and my lazy friends in higher education...

The UN reports that American workers are the most productive in the world. US workers lead in productivity when it comes to the amount of wealth produced each year ($63,885) and is second in amount per hour ($35.63)-- trailing only Norway, which has a huge oil industry and insanely high prices.

Top 5 most productive workforces (per year)
1. USA
2. Ireland
3. Luxembourg
4. Belgium
5. France

Top 3 most productive wokforces (per hour)
1. Norway
2. USA
3. France
US workers put in an average of 1804 hours/ year, while French workers worked 1564 hours, and Norweigen workers 1407 hours. These rates were below Asian countries, some of which top the 2200 hour mark, but which are less productive.

So, even though I'm in school, I guess everyone should enjoy their day off, because it's well earned!

Bush in Iraq

President Bush is in Iraq on a surprise visit. In a symbolic gesture, the Commander in Chief did not go to Baghdad and confer with the government there, opting instead to visit Anbar province. Bush's team hopes that local government and leaders will emerge as the best agents of progress in the war torn country.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al- Maliki was part of the delegation that met with Defense Secretary Robert Gates before the President's arrival. As the AP reports, having the Prime Minister, who is a Shiite, travel to Sunni- dominated Anbar also sends a powerful message to war critics: al- Maliki is indeed capable of reaching out to Sunnis, and uniting Iraq's religious factions.

National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley told the AP that the trip was decided on 6 weeks ago to coincide with Congress' return to Washington, and the heating up of the war debate. Hadley said there has been marked progress in Anbar, making it a good place to show the administration's strategy.

The next week is very important for the administration, and pivotal for the war effort overall. General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker will testify before Congress on progress against the sectarian violence that has been steady since the US overthrew Saddam Husein in 2003. Support for troop withdrawal has gained steam over the Congressional break, especially in light of a critical GAO report leaked in the media last week that said little to no political or infrastructural headway was being made. The time for al- Maliki to broker a solution among Iraq's politicians appears to be at hand.

February's 30,000 troop surge has seen some increase in stability, but opponents argue such stability will be fleeting, so long as Iraq's political factions fail to build any kind of power-sharing consensus.

Now what are we supposed to write about???

Disgraced Republican Sen. Larry Craig is (reportedly) ready to resign... for details check here... Craig will always be remembered as the man who made the term "wide stance" comedy gold.