Dianne Feinstein: “expectations were high on Capitol Hill and the rest of the Nation this month. We were all hoping to hear a major new…”

“expectations were high on Capitol Hill and the rest of the Nation this month. We were all hoping to hear a major new strategy on how to forge political accommodation in Iraq from General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker, and most importantly from President Bush. We did hear of some limited, tactical success in improving security, but we learned nothing new on how the Bush administration would bridge the yawning political gap between Shia and Sunni. In fact, the President in his speech last week to the Nation offered no change in policy and no strategy for reaching the political accommodation that is necessary in Iraq. In his eighth prime-time address on Iraq, the President again made the case that his policy will bring success in Iraq. We have heard 'mission accomplished,' we have heard calls for patience, and innumerable claims that we are winning. We have heard that more troops will lead to political progress. We have heard that 'when they stand up, we stand down,' but there is no clear plan to get them to stand on their own. And, this time we received yet another slogan--'Return on Success' a new name for staying the course, keeping the status quo. So, even though for months we have been told by the White House and many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to wait until September for a new strategy, we are still told to wait--again--but for what? Neither General Petraeus nor Ambassador Crocker could provide answers to how long a U.S.…”