Not only are our friends on the Left eviscerating anyone (including non-conservatives) who dares say we've made progress in Iraq, now even some Congressmen can't listen to good news.
Via the Strata-Sphere, we get news from Capitol Hill Blue that a Congressman walked out of a hearing in which a retired general explained that progress in Iraq has been made.
It’s tough being a member of Congress. Even if you’re in the majority, as is Democratic Rep. Nancy Boyda of Kansas, you never know when your ears may be assaulted by outrageous and offensive ideas.
Like what? At a recent hearing of the Armed Services Committee, retired Gen. Jack Keane said “progress is being made” by U.S. military forces in Iraq; “We are on the offensive and we have the momentum,” he added. The freshman congresswoman was so distressed by these remarks that she got up and walked out.
There was “only so much” she could take, she explained, so she “had to leave the room … after so much of the frustration of having to listen to what we listened to.” She said she was worried, too, that General Keane’s remarks “will in fact show up in the media and further divide this country.” Hey, that could happen!
I find it both exasperating and disturbing that a member of Congress would have so little respect for opposing views.
In the NYT piece by O'Hanlon and Pollack, they acknowledged that not enough progress has been made, but pointed out that there are signs that the surge is working. I think that's a fair assessment. And their conclusion, that we should support troops at least into 2008, is not some outrageous, flag-waving, neocon-style judgment. We're nearly in the fourth quarter of 2007. We can't get out of Iraq before 2008 under any reasonable conditions. Why is it outrageous to state we should support events in Iraq for at least another six months?
If Congressman Boyda is truly so disturbed that she can't handle news she dislikes, I'm sure the people of Kansas would be only too happy to hold a special election to fill her vacated spot. It sounds like she isn't up for the job.
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