Wednesday
Jun042008
Military operations in Iraq "led to the destruction of the country"
Wednesday, June 4, 2008 at 5:04PM
The Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight held a hearing on "The Future of U.S.-Iraqi Relations: The Perspective of the Iraqi Parliament." Chairman William Delahunt (D-Mass.) said that the most important relationship Congress can build is one with the Iraqi Parliament.
Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) said that he believes everyone has the right to self-determination, and that the U.S. is suffering the consequences of "bad decisions" that could have been prevented, such as loss of life and financial chaos. He said the "sooner we get out of the way" and turn responsibility over to the Iraqi people, "the better," and asserts "Iraq is capable to defend itself."
The Honorable Nadeem Al-Jaberi from the Council of Representatives of Iraq said the Iraqi government still does not have full reign of the sovereignty because of the thousands of foreign troops in the country. He believes any bilateral agreement with the United States would be better if made after the withdrawal of American troops. He said a stable and strong Iraq is in the interest of the U.S. and the region, and that negotiations between the U.S. and Iraq will not be successful if both parties are not equal. He believes Iraq has the capabilities to defend itself and to build up military forces, and that U.S. troops are no longer needed in the way they had been before.
The Honorable Sheikh Al-Ulayyan from the Council of Representatives of Iraq said he salutes the American people for standing against the war with demonstrations and protests. He said the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq needs to be organized in a way to guarantee the integrity of Iraq and to keep order everywhere in the world. He said he would like to see the U.S. invest in all aspects of reconstruction. He said he would have preferred if the U.S. had not conducted military operations to rid Iraq Saddam Hussein because it "led to the destruction of the country."
Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) said that he believes everyone has the right to self-determination, and that the U.S. is suffering the consequences of "bad decisions" that could have been prevented, such as loss of life and financial chaos. He said the "sooner we get out of the way" and turn responsibility over to the Iraqi people, "the better," and asserts "Iraq is capable to defend itself."
The Honorable Nadeem Al-Jaberi from the Council of Representatives of Iraq said the Iraqi government still does not have full reign of the sovereignty because of the thousands of foreign troops in the country. He believes any bilateral agreement with the United States would be better if made after the withdrawal of American troops. He said a stable and strong Iraq is in the interest of the U.S. and the region, and that negotiations between the U.S. and Iraq will not be successful if both parties are not equal. He believes Iraq has the capabilities to defend itself and to build up military forces, and that U.S. troops are no longer needed in the way they had been before.
The Honorable Sheikh Al-Ulayyan from the Council of Representatives of Iraq said he salutes the American people for standing against the war with demonstrations and protests. He said the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq needs to be organized in a way to guarantee the integrity of Iraq and to keep order everywhere in the world. He said he would like to see the U.S. invest in all aspects of reconstruction. He said he would have preferred if the U.S. had not conducted military operations to rid Iraq Saddam Hussein because it "led to the destruction of the country."
McClellan testifies in Congress
Former White House Press Secretary under George W. Bush Scott McClellan testified under oath before the House Judiciary Committee. McClellan presented the committee with his knowledge of the lead-up to the war in Iraq and the Valerie Plame leak, two topics he discusses in his book “What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception.”
McClellan stated that he did not know if the leak of former covert CIA agent Valerie Plame was used as a way to further criticize Plame’s husband, Ambassador Joseph Wilson. In his book, McClellan says that he finds it unlikely that President Bush would have authorized Scooter Libby to leak classified information and said he cannot rule out Vice President Cheney give the authorization. Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) said that the statements made in McClellan’s book are enough to consider impeachment proceedings on Cheney.
On the Iraq War, McClellan said that counterevidence is crucial in the lead-up to a war and that the Bush White House ignored evidence that was contradictory to the administration’s goals. Though he admitted Bush never used words like “shade the truth” or “propaganda,” McClellan said that the war was presented to Americans in those manners.
McClellan explained that the purpose for writing his book was to share his experiences with the American people and to analyze how a popular governor became a polarizing president, frequently beginning his responses by reminding the committee that he discussed the answer in his book. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) posed questions to McClellan that challenged his motivations for writing the book, asking about the political positions of the book’s editors and inquiring on the profits McClellan will receive. After McClellan repeatedly said “Can I finish my response?” as Smith interjected with additional questions, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) apologized to McClellan, stating that the committee’s purpose was to investigate topics discussed in the book, not to question McClellan’s character.