After watching the general, commander of the Multi-National Force-Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker testify before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, the consensus of the 16 captains attending the career course at the Intelligence Center at this Southern Arizona Army post was that the senators were talking and not wanting to hear what was being said.
“Actually, what took place was far too much talking and not enough listening,” Capt. Charles Bailey said.
 Gen. David Petraeus testifies on the future course of the war in Iraq, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Tuesday on Capitol Hill in Washington. (The Associated Press) |
He and some of the others opined that it should have been the civilian leadership of the military who were called to testify and not the four-star general, who is subordinate to the civilian leadership of America’s armed forces.
The captains admitted that Petraeus said he would return and testify before Congress when he was promoted and became the military architect for the surge strategy.
On Monday, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Donald Shepperd said senior generals are “soldiers, politicians, diplomats and psychologists,” and therefore they are expected to be prepared to face the heat of a congressional committee.
Shepperd, who headed the Air National Guard and currently is a CNN military analyst, said he and other retired generals met with Petraeus before the Army general left for Iraq.
Petraeus promised he would tell the truth when he made his report to Congress and would not hold back any punches, Shepperd said. He said Petraeus kept that promise in what he presented Monday.
The retired Air Force general was one of five retired flag officers who spoke with U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., on Monday as part of her military advisory council. The others were Gen. John Wickham, former Army chief of staff; Army Maj. Gen. Bill Van Dyke, former adjutant general of the Arizona national Guard; Marine Maj. Gen. John Cronin, former deputy commander of Fleet Marine; and Air Force Brig. Gen. Ron Shoopman, former commander of the 162nd Fighter Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard.
As part of the agreement of covering the discussion period following listening to part of the testimony Tuesday, the captains were offered the right to decline to have their names used. Most took that option, especially those who were critical of the legislative and administrative branches who they believe are using Petraeus as a political football.
Questioning whether combating terrorists in Iraq was making the United States safer “was an improper question,” one of the officers said.
While all of the captains thought the questions were repetitive and nothing more than partisanship, Capt. Daniel Squyres said, “It’s all political.”
Capt. Meghan Compston said some of the senators misunderstand the role that Iraq plays in global terrorism.
“Iraq is more regional than global,” she said.
But another female officer said much of the problem is being imported into Iraq, and what must be decided “if we exit Iraq” is if terrorism will grow further on the world stage?
Many captains noted that Petraeus mentioned Iran many times during his comments. One said Iran is becoming the “breeding ground for terrorists.” And it appears Iran will look at ways to become engaged without actually fighting.
“Iran excels in proxy wars,” Compston added.
A captain expressed concerns that as Iran heads toward becoming a nation with nuclear weapons, the stability of the Middle East, as well as elsewhere in the world, will become unstable.
Another officer said people must understand that 70 to 80 percent of all people who adhere to a religious belief are peaceful, but the problem is the 20 percent or so who are not.
All this has to do with what Petraeus was trying to express to the Senate Armed Services Committee, the captains said.
They said they heard that if the situation in Iraq is not brought under control, the nation will implode into various religious factions.
As one captain said, without strong American leadership in the troubled nation, “a civil war is going to happen, and there will be nothing we can do but put a Band-Aid on this ouchy boo-boo.”
The cure is to let Petraeus do his military job and not to take him away from his main mission in Iraq, by having him come back to Washington, D.C., to testify before Congress where both Democrats and Republicans will use the general’s name to support their view, the officers said.
All of the captains have served in either Iraq or Afghanistan, and some will return to Iraq when they graduate. A dozen will graduate next week and the other four in January.
Two of the officers said they served in Iraq during part of the surge, and they have seen improvements where the operation took place.
The two said the general and others in Iraq must be allowed to complete the job, and the Monday morning quarterbacking of members of Congress is not helpful.
Armchair-general posturing is being done at many levels of the government, including the White House, some of the captains said.
While there needs to be a civilian and military dialogue, it should be done civilly, which to most of captains said the senators lacked on Tuesday.
President George W. Bush will speak to the nation Thursday night, and the captains believe he will use Petraeus’ name throughout the address as a crutch for his Iraqi decisions.
“General Petraeus will be named and named and named by the president, almost as an excuse,” a captain said.
SENIOR REPORTER Bill Hess can be reached at 515-4615 or by e-mail at bill.hess@svherald.com.
