True North

In an attempt to downplay Gen. Petraeus' testimony next week, Democrats are portraying Gen. Petraeus' report as the "Bush Report." Here's a sampling of their statements:

"The Bush report?" Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin said when asked about the upcoming report from Gen. Petraeus, U.S. commander in Iraq.

"We know what is going to be in it. It's clear. I think the president's trip over to Iraq makes it very obvious," the Illinois Democrat said. "I expect the Bush report to say, 'The surge is working. Let's have more of the same.'"

It isn't surprising that Sen. Durbin would impugn the integrity of Gen. Petraeus. This isn't the first time that he's accused the U.S. military of actions unbecoming a U.S. soldier. We all remember Sen. Durbin likening the guards at Gitmo to the thugs of Nazi Germany, the Soviet gulags and Pol Pot's thugs.

If this isn't enough to question Sen. Durbin's, and other likeminded Democrats', patriotism, then there's no chance that we can question their patriotism. On this blog, Sen. Durbin's statements are more than enough to question his patriotism.

Sadly, his isn't the only voice in that 'choir':

Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said Gen. Petraeus' report was potentially compromised by the White House's involvement in drafting it.

"If the same people who were so wrong about this war from the start are writing substantial portions of this report, that raises credibility questions," he said.

My first reaction after reading Rep. van Hollen's statement was to tell him to sit down and shut up. Rep. van Hollen's opinions should be viewed through the lens of his July 8 statement on FNS. Here's his most noteworthy statement:

"The entire integrity of our criminal justice system is in question."

This was in response to Brit Hume's question on the meaning of President Bush commuting Scooter Libby's prison sentence. It's obvious that Rep. van Hollen graduated from the Al Gore school of hyperbole. The notion that a president's commuting the prison sentence of someone will undermine the entire criminal justice system is silly. Rep. van Hollen should remember that making one hyperbolic statement after another will quickly get you ignored.

Here's a quote from Speaker Pelosi's press release:

"The independent GAO report released today contrasts sharply with President Bush's stay-the-course Iraq strategy. The GAO report is the latest in a series of assessments to conclude that the Iraqi government has failed to meet nearly every political, economic and security benchmark laid out by President Bush himself in January.

"Democrats stand with the American people and are committed to bringing our troops home safely and soon. It is time to refocus our nation's efforts on fighting the real threats of terrorism around the world."

If Democrats truly stood with the American people, they wouldn't be making such pro defeat statements. They'd be saying things like 'Let's give our boys another chance.'

What's most troubling is that Speaker Pelosi is essentially saying thatGen. Petraeus and the Maliki government have failed their missions. That's simply inexcusable. That type of statement should earn her the title of former Speaker.

If these statements aren't enough motivation to get GOP activists working hard to keep a Republican in the White House and sweep Democrats from control of the US House, then nothing will motivate them.

Cross-posted at Let Freedom Ring Blog