Lynn C. Woolsey: “one of the truest statements about the occupation of Iraq was uttered by one of our own generals. The commander of U.S.…”

“one of the truest statements about the occupation of Iraq was uttered by one of our own generals. The commander of U.S. troops in Iraq, General David Petraeus, said that there is no military solution in Iraq. In his own words, and I quote him, ``There is no military solution to a problem like that in Iraq, to the insurgency of Iraq.'' I ask all of us, Is this another case of the President not listening to his top brass? When is he going to learn that, despite the brave and courageous efforts of our men and women in uniform, we cannot bomb, we cannot shoot our way to peace in Iraq? General Petraeus even said that we should be refocusing our diplomatic efforts in and around Iraq, saying that talks should include, and I quote him again, ``some of those who have felt the new Iraq did not have a place for them.'' I applaud him for his candor. He sees what is going on on the ground. He knows that the current approach is just not working. The men and women under his command have given so much for this misguided occupation. They went in without armor they needed for their Humvees and even for their own bodily protection. They went in looking for weapons of mass destruction that did not work out too well. They went in to accomplish a mission that was not clearly defined, and there was no exit plan. How can we ask our troops to continue down this road?”