Throughout the 2008 campaign, Senator John McCain constantly evoked General David Petraeus and lauded him multiple times as the greatest general of our time. Much of the praise was rightly deserved. The GOP long claimed to have the military's support, even if that support wasn't half as great as the Republicans would like for the American public to believe. So maybe some of you would be surprised to learn that Sec.-Def. Robert Gates, General David Petraeus, andGeneral Raymond Odierno are frustrated by the obstructionists in the U.S. Senate.
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The point of contention is over obstructionism. The area of obstruction is over the appointed-post of Ambassador to Iraq, and some guy named Christopher Hill. Mr. Hill is a top-level diplomat known best for his work with North Korea in the later days of the Bush administration(when the Bush administration finally realized that all of their earlier postures and actions had caused more harm than good).
Sources tell The Cable that Centcom commander Gen. David Petraeus, top Iraq commander Gen. Raymond Odierno, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates are frustrated by the delay in getting a U.S. ambassador confirmed and into place in Iraq, and support Hill's confirmation proceeding swiftly.
Opposition to the Hill appointment has been led by Sens. John McCain (R-AZ), Sam Brownback (R-KS), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Brownback has called Hill's past dealings with Congress over North Korea "evasive and unprofessional." In a joint statement last week, McCain and Graham wrote that Hill had a "controversial legacy" on North Korea, and added, "The next ambassador should have experience in the Middle East and in working closely with the U.S. military in counterinsurgency or counterterrorism operations. Mr. Hill has neither."
Well, Mr. Hill is supported by the U.S. military's top commanders in Iraq, Centcom, and the Pentagon. I do believe he will be working closely with the U.S. military once the obstructionists stop playing politics. General Odierno has said that he is being forced to pull double-duty since Ambassador Ryan Crocker left in mid-February. Retired Gen. Nash, the top U.S. commander in Bosnia, had this to say;
Asked if Republican objections to Hill that he is not a Middle East expert are legitimate, Nash said the opposition is "being difficult to be difficult. I have known Chris Hill for 14 years. He is a wonderful diplomat and exactly the kind of guy we need in Iraq."
Senator Richard Lugar, R-Indiana, former Deputy Sec. of State John Negroponte, and former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Zalmay Khalilzad all support Christopher Hill as ambassador to Iraq. These are Republicans and people who have worked for George W. Bush. Now we can add the top military brass to this list. Perhaps now, we can get the Republicans to stop being difficult for the sake of being difficult.