Pelosi Calls Iraq War 'Grotesque Mistake'

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Saturday called the war in Iraq a ``grotesque mistake'' that has not made the United States safer.

Giving her party's weekly radio address, the California congresswoman said President Bush's decision to invade Iraq has siphoned resources and attention away from the broader war on terror and the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

``We would be much safer today if President Bush had kept his focus on al-Qaida, rather than diverting crucial resources from the war on terror in Afghanistan to a war of choice in Iraq,'' she said, echoing recent comments by Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry.

``This war has been a grotesque mistake that has diminished our reputation in the world and has not made America safer,'' she said.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Democrats-Pelosi.html

catastrophic success ?

(as per CBS):

NEW YORK - CBS News has shelved a "60 Minutes" report on the rationale for war in Iraq (news - web sites) because it would be "inappropriate" to air it so close to the presidential election, the network said on Saturday.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=762&e=...

Sometimes I disagree with her but I'll always admire her for that.

It's about fuckin' time the Democratic leadership stood up for us and took this Administration head on. I'm just waiting for Dashcle to lose his position as Senate Majority Leader.

Here is the big mistake we made and must never make again -- electing a Speaker of the House, or in this case a Senate Minority Leader, from a state where the opposition Party has 60% voter support, and our guy has to toe the line, polish boots, and kiss ass all day long just to keep getting elected - this just doesn't work. Those leaders end up being muzzled.

We are much better off electing Dem leaders from districts or states that are 100% safe seats. Let's remember that the next time there is a contest for majority leader.

talking about how fast the country has decided Iraq wasn't worth it compared to other conflicts like vietnam. He credited it to 24 hour cable television and the images on tv. I disagree strongly. It has more to do with the fact Americans understand Arab sentiment toward us and we knew this would be a disaster before we ever went in.

Kudos to Nancy Pelosi.

It has more to do with the fact Americans understand Arab sentiment toward us ...

Americans (except liberals) aren't really that concerned about how our actions impact other countries' people. They are concerned, however, with the mounting death for American troops, and with the war profiteering (to a much lesser degree) and especially in conjunction with our deaths, the no good news in sight phenomenon. IOW: we are NOT "winning." The beheadings may have something to do with it, along with Abu Ghraib.

All the polls before the war gave an upper tolerance factor of 1000 U.S. deaths for whether or not it would be worth it. We've now exceeded that. Ergo, it's no longer worth it to many people.

I predicted the guerilla war that it has become, and I think many others did too. Now that it has become reality, it reinforced underlying feelings. Look, we have watched the Israeli/Palistinean conflict for most of our lives. It never ends. Americans are starting to realize we are in that kind of mess. The death toll itself is not the significant thing, it is the feeling that we can't stop it.

'Grotesque Success'....if he could pronounce 'Grotesque'

most people I've talked to consider Iraq a very bad blunder - and they aren't buying the "media only focuses on the bad in Iraq..." bush*t

however, people do realize that we can't just pull out without stabilizing the country or we will have an even bigger Mess'o-Potamia

it's a situation where you hate it, can't walk away and resent having to clean up a mess

from the getgo. Again I say... had they taken Saddam out... left the contracts in place between Iraq and Russia, Iraq and France, Iraq and Germany... etc.... their real motivations would have not been so apparrent.. their subterfuge not so blatant, their double dealing not to in your face. Disbanding the army... how stupid was that? You cannot measure it, you simply cannot.

If they would have simply allowed the Iraqi people to do many of the rebuilding projects themselves (and it was proven that in many cases they could do them at 1/10 the cost) they would have been employed for a good cause... and not unemployed and easy prey for people wanting to "take back their country".

If simply freeing the Iraqi people was our goal... this insurgency would not exist. If simply doing the right thing was the motive.. and not war profiteering... 1000 men and women would probably still be coming home to their families, wives and children.

Oh what a terrible web we weave, when we conspire to deceive.

Grotesque Mistake
Miserable Failure
Two Faced

Fightin words!

If someone forces his way into your house, kills your family and takes your valuables, this is not a "mistake" on his part.

But that is what the US is doing in Iraq.

Nancy, you have huevos, girlfriend! Thank you for calling it like it is!!!