Pete Sessions: “it is time for us to review our policy in Iraq. We have been aware this day was coming for some time. To recap how…”

“it is time for us to review our policy in Iraq. We have been aware this day was coming for some time. To recap how things have occurred, we had hearings in the early part of this year to confirm General Petraeus. This has been General Petraeus's third tour in Iraq. I first had the opportunity to meet with him when he commanded the 101st Airborne in Mosul. He was part of the initial invasion--a brilliant combat commander who impressed all of us on our CODEL. I later visited him in Iraq when he was in charge of training the Iraqi military and their police. It was a critical moment in their development. He was asked to go back early to do that, and he agreed to do so. He then returned to the United States and wrote the counterinsurgency manual for the Department of Defense. Before the ink was dry on that manual, the President asked him to go back to Iraq, for the third time, to lead this critical effort at this critical time. So I wish to first say how disappointed I have been that some have seen fit to attack this man, attack what he might say. I am afraid, frankly, the purpose of that was to sort of preemptively smear his testimony. I saw most of his testimony this afternoon. As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I expect to see more of it tomorrow and to be there tomorrow when he testifies before our committee and to hear it all in complete form.”