Last time Gen. David Petraeus went up to Capitol Hill to give his big update, he wasn’t 100% ready for prime time. That was most evident when Sen. John Warner (R-VA) asked if success in the Iraq war will make America safer. His response was a blunt “I don’t know.”
Today, Warner gave Petraeus the opportunity for a second bite of the apple. “Is all this sacrifice bringing about a more secure America?” Warner asked. And this time, Petraeus was ready — with a mind-numbing battery of talking points, from which he was apparently reading:
Finally, Warner had to interrupt Petraeus, saying “my time on the clock is moving pretty quickly. It was a fairly simple question: Does that translate into a greater security for those of us at home?” He wanted an answer “just in simple language.”
Finally, Petraeus came back with an assurance that “I do believe it is worth it.”
A transcript of the exchange is below.
I want to go back to your statements and frame a simple question.
General, you said the following: “With this approach, the security achievements of 2000 (sic) and 2008 can form a foundation for the gradual establishment of sustainable security in Iraq. This is not only important to the 27 million citizens of Iraq, it is also vitally important to the Gulf region,” and then you added, parenthetically, “to the citizens of the United States.”
Mr. Ambassador, you said the following: “Americans have invested a great deal in Iraq in blood as well as treasure, and they have the right to ask whether it’s worth it.”
I would hope that you could frame a short message at this moment, both of you, to the American people in response to the same question I asked of you last year, General: Is all this sacrifice bringing about a more secure America?
PETRAEUS: Well, I’ve thought more than a bit about that, Senator, since September. And though I continue to think it’s a question perhaps best answered by folks with a broader view and ultimately will have to be answered by history, I obviously have thoughts on it and on the importance of achieving our objectives in Iraq.
Iraq has entailed huge cost. Our men and women in uniform have made enormous sacrifices: over 4,000 of them the ultimate sacrifice. And the expenditure has been very substantial in numerous other respects, including the strain on the overall force and the opportunity cost in terms of not being able to focus more elsewhere.
Having said that, there is no longer a ruthless dictator in Iraq who threatened and invaded his neighbors and who terrorized his own people.
Beyond that, the seeds of a nation’s democracy have been planted in an Arab country that was the cradle of civilization.
PETRAEUS: And though the germination of those seeds has been anything but smooth, there has been growth.
All of this, again, has come at great cost. I recognize that the overall weighing of the scales is more than difficult, and believe it is best done, at this point, by someone up the chain with a broader perspective.
Ultimately, it can only be answered by history, once the outcome in Iraq has been determined.
Having said all that, I believe the more important question, at this point, is how best to achieve our important interests in Iraq, interests that do have enormous implications, as I mentioned, for the safety and security of our country, 27 million Iraqis in the Mideast region, and the world; with respect to Al Qaida, the spread of sectarian conflict, Iranian influence, regional stability, and the global economy.
I do believe we have made progress in important areas in Iraq over the past year. And I believe the recommendations Ambassador Crocker and I have provided are the best course to achieve our important objectives.
(CROSSTALK)
WARNER: … my time on the clock is moving pretty quickly. It was a fairly simple question: Does that translate into a greater security for those of us at home?
I point out, this morning, indications that up to 80 percent of the Americans just don’t accept the premise, at this point in time, that it’s worth it.
Can you now, just in simple language, tell us, yes, it is worth it and it is making us safer here at home?
PETRAEUS: Senator, I do believe it is worth it, or I would not have, I guess, accepted — I mean, you do what you’re ordered to do, but you sometimes are asked whether you would like to, or are willing to take on a task.
And I took on the task of — the privilege of command of Multi- National Force-Iraq because I do believe that it is worth, and I do believe the interests there are of enormous importance, again, to our country, not just to the people of Iraq and the people of that region and the world.
