Sep 11 2007

General Petraeus Testifies Before Congress

Wes Hickman (202) 224-5972 or Kevin Bishop (864) 250-1417
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) made this statement on the testimony of General David H. Petraeus before the Congress.

“I think General Petraeus’ testimony has been outstanding.  A couple of points he made really stand out to me: 

  • The surge has clearly worked.  The idea of withdrawing troops because of political posturing in Washington will undercut our successes.

  • If we arbitrarily withdraw troops, we will lose the gains that have been made.  We have Al Qaeda on the run and they have been driven out of Anbar Province.  The Sunnis in Anbar turned against Al Qaeda as they did not like living under their control.  It was a huge event both for the future of Iraq and our own national security.

  • General Petraeus has clearly defined the outcome of the War in Iraq in terms of our national interests.  There’s no doubt it is in our own national security interests to have a stable, secure Iraq. 

  • If Iraq fails and breaks apart Al Qaeda could reemerge and use it as a safe haven.  There could be a war between the Kurds and Turks in the north of Iraq.  We could have a Sunni-Shia civil war spread throughout the Middle East.  And Iran, led by a ruthless, brutal, and very dangerous man, could dominate parts of Iraq.  Each of these outcomes poses dangers to our own national security.


“We should continue to allow General Petraeus and the troops to execute their mission.  Together they have done a wonderful job brining about a level of security and success which has not been achieved before. 

“In the Senate, I will continue to fight any effort which undercuts the ability of General Petraeus to maneuver and execute the military operations as he sees fit.”

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