We have learned today that Gen. Petraeus is to report to Congress on 9/11/07. And just when we thought we could expect a new civility in the post Karl Rove era...
This is a perfect time to go on offense.
The Chair of the hearing simply needs to do the following in his opening statement:
"On this sixth anniversary of the September 11 attack, the General's presence serves as a stark reminder of what all Americans have at stake. The memory of the 3,000 fallen Americans demands answers, and there is no better time than on this day, the observance of their sacrifice.
It is a time to answer the question of how,time and time again, the Bush administration insists on linking the former government of Iraq to the 9/11 attacks, even as they have grudgingly admitted, when cornered, that there is no such connection.
It is a time to answer the question of how the administration continually insisted on the presence of Weapons of Mass Destruction--contradicting the best of their own intelligence professionals.
It is a time to answer how there could have been such inadequate--nay--nonexistant planning for the aftermath of the invasion.
It is a time to answer how there could be such an obvious lack of a genuine military strategy, and the lack of coordination with diplomatic and political efforts to form a post-Saddam government.
It is a time to answer how, despite the unceasing dedication and sacrifice of our troops, that inadequate equipment has failed to be replaced, even as the Pentagon had full knowledge of existing technologies which could have saved lives.
General Petraeus, on this day when we remember September 11th, there can be no doubt, once again, that the administration has deliberately chosen this day to again position the Iraq invasion as being somehow indelibly linked with those infamous events.
So for my first Question, Gen. Petraeus,--on the record--please describe how the current troop surge in Iraq will accelerate the capture of Osama bin Laden--the perpetrator of the September 11th attacks which took the lives of 3,000 american citizens."
"I'm waiting."