The Democrats insult the troops and undermine their leaders

Jed Babbin:

Democrats and their allies in the political activist media are working hard to pre-empt the September report on Iraq by General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker. They live in fear of the facts that, if delivered without political spin, could be fatal to their party’s lose-the-war-at-all-costs White House strategy.

They are also fearful that General Petraeus himself may become a powerful public symbol untarnished by partisan politics. So they are doing the only thing they know how: slinging mud at Petraeus himself.

Petraeus was confirmed by the Senate in January. Three months later, on April 19th, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said that the war in Iraq was lost. Five days after that Reid had the following exchange with a CNN reporter:

CNN reporter: [The President} said Gen. Petraeus is going to come to the Hill and make it clear to you that there is progress going on in Iraq, that the so-called surge is working…will you believe him when he says that?

Reid: (laughs) No…I don’t believe him because it’s not happening. All you have to do is look at the facts…

In June, when Petraeus said that there were new “astonishing signs of normalcy” in Baghdad -- citing open markets, soccer leagues playing in open-field stadiums and such, Reid said Petraeus, “…isn’t in touch with what’s going on in Baghdad,” and implied that Petraeus hadn’t been honest in prior testimony to Congress.

On August 15, former Clinton functionary and head of the Democratic Congressional Caucus Cong. Rahm Emanuel chummed for the media sharks. He said,

"After years of slogans and soundbites Americans deserve an even-handed assessment of conditions in Iraq. Sadly, we will only receive a snapshot from the same people who told us the mission was accomplished and the insurgency was in its last throes. We’ve spent hundreds of billions of dollars and lost thousands of lives in Iraq. An honest report from our generals and diplomats about the status of the war isn’t too much to ask."

The Dems media assault on Petraeus may be beginning to work. CNN reported a new survey supposedly proving that 53% of Americans didn’t trust Petraeus to report the truth on Iraq.

...

The Democrats are moving the politics of personal destruction to our military leaders because they perceive a winning US military in Iraq as a political problem. I question not only their judgment but their patriotism. The desire to lose a war for political gain as well as the fear of losing politically by our winning is just perverse. They should be challenged on this made to pay a political price. Babbin has many more examples.