But…….remember his statements during the Petraeus hearings from September.

The Administration’s myopic policies in Iraq have created a fiasco. Is it any wonder that on the subject of Iraq, more and more Americans have little confidence in this Administration? We can not take ANY of this Administration’s assertions on Iraq at face value anymore, and no amount of charts or statistics will improve its credibility.

This is not a knock on you, General Petraeus, or on you, Ambassador Crocker. But the fact remains, gentlemen, that the Administration has sent you here today to convince the members of these two Committees and the Congress that victory is at hand.

With all due respect to you, I must say … I don’t buy it. And neither does the independent Government Accountability Office or the Commission headed by General Jones. Both recently issued deeply pessimistic reports.

The current escalation in our military presence in Iraq may have produced some tactical successes. But strategically, the escalation has failed. It was intended to buy time for Prime Minister Maliki and the other Iraqi political leaders to find ways to move toward the one thing that may end this terrible civil conflict – and that, of course, is a political settlement. As best we can see, that time has been utterly squandered.

America should not be in the business of arming, training and funding both sides of a religious civil war in Iraq. Did the Administration learn nothing from our country’s actions in Afghanistan two decades ago, when by supporting Islamist militants against the Soviet Union, we helped pave the way for the rise of the Taliban? Why are we now repeating the short-sighted patterns of the past?

In Iraq today, we are wrecking our military, forcing their families to suffer needlessly, sacrificing the lives of our brave young men and women in uniform. And the enormous financial cost of this war is limiting our ability to address our global security needs, as well as pressing domestic problems such as health care, crumbling infrastructure and public education. The cost of this war in Iraq will be passed along to our grandchildren and beyond.

In the last few days, General Petraeus, media have reported that you are prepared to support a slow drawdown of our forces in Iraq – beginning with a brigade or two, perhaps at the end of this year.

This clearly is nowhere near enough.

Oh, I forgot. We’re not “them.”

Wishing Congressman Lantos and his family the fortitude and support they need through this ordeal,
C.S.

I don’t understand how Jews–much less Holocaust survivors–can be Democrats. Don’t they realize most of the Democrat leadership would just as soon let the Jews in Israel be pushed into the sea by Islamists? It baffles my mind.

aero on January 2, 2008 at 10:46 PM

Couldn’t agree more. Some old guard Dem’s might still support the Jews, but they’re on their way out and their replacements look ugly. The left has cast its lot with the Islamists, both here, and in Europe.

aero on January 2, 2008 at 10:46 PM

Democrats don’t see the fight the same way as the Republicans, but that doesn’t mean they want Israel to become a casualty of the fight against tyrannical Muslims. The one thing both parties can agree on is support for the Israeli government, people, and military — to a greater degree, in fact, than most Jews or Israeli politicians themselves. I saw Lantos speak at the last Memorial Day, and his words were heartfelt. As many others here have said, I may disagree with him on nearly everything, and I may have voted against him in the last election, but clearly his words are worthy of praise and he is worthy of our prayers.

Lantos has a lot of class. He will be missed.

Drum on January 3, 2008 at 12:29 AM

Ignorance is bliss.

aero on January 2, 2008 at 10:46 PM

You’re kidding, right? If the Dems have anything right it is Israel. Obama, Hillary, Pelosi, Feinstein, et al, have all courted and won the trust of Israel.

I’d say it’s the psycho Christian Right that wants Armageddon ASAP who desire Israel to be nuked or something akin to that. Anything to bring back Jaysuz!

To:Mr.Lanto’s and family,best wishes,
I hope you get better.

aero on January 2, 2008 at 10:46 PM

you aint kidding. cruise on over to the sfgate comments section to see progressives bash a cancer-stricken holcaust survivor.

gyptian, you’re correct w/that argument. if it isn’t enough that we get holocaust propaganda shoved down our throat every year (as if it’s the only human suffering by one group), these survivors working politics are often given free tix just because they’re holocaust survivors….if anyone who criticizes them are seen as anti-semite. israel is another freaking oppressive state funded by the u.s. gov’t

they are all jewish and vote their conscience for the benefit of israel, even to the long-term detriment of the US

etc.

and we know that the only comments which remain posted there at the staff’s discretion come from the left, so we may as well count this disgusting filth as the sfchron’s officil editorial line.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article/comments/view?f=/c/a/2008/01/02/BA46U84NF.DTL

G-d will welcome him warmly. Let’s just pray it is not soon.

Congressman Lantos is a gentleman, who in disagreement was agreeable.

He is from the civilized school of politics – love thy country first, debate/resolve political issues second. A rare breed for these days.

Best wishes to him and his family – it’s not going to be easy.

http://www.cannabisculture.com/cgi/issue.cgi

here is a better/bigger pic of it: Paultards

now we know where a crackpot politician spends 19 Million in Fundraising.

Nevertheless, prayers for Lantos and his family.