Redstate

instead of grandstanding politicians, guys and gals to get off their a*ses and go see for themselves what is going on.  I am sure he is aware that the officials are putting the best face on things for him, but I'm sure GI Jane and Joe arent.

If the Congressman is reading this, perhaps he can address the Q that Rep Murtha and Sen kerry have posed.  Do our troops complain they are not getting what they need?  Do they feel that we are wasting our time?  Direct addressing of the points that the opposite view present is important, even if it turns out that they are right.  You may not get on 60 minutes, but if you tell us, it will be heard.

Keep up the good work sir!

Jack when in Iraq:

Did you go off by yourself, without a big military or security force do any act finding?

Did you get outside the Green Zone and talk to any average Iraqis "on the street" who have no connection to the Iraqis Gov or Coalition Authority?

Other than a trip to and from the airport how much time did you spend outside the Green Zone?

Where you in the same group of lawmakers as Bill Shuster from PA?

that they would "sever links with him until doomsday."

One imagines, given the efficiency of the Jordanian secret police, that if they hadn't severed their links with al-Zarqawi they might have had some of their own links severed for them.

your first question is so assinine that it is unlikely that anyone will read the following three.  

Did you go off by yourself, without a big military or security force do any act finding?

Of course he didn't go off by himself, and I'll wager that neither will you in half a dozen US cities after dark.

I know you are eager to put a damper on any positive news coming out of Iraq, but at least have the common decency not to be so obvious.

I suspect that the newspaper ads have more to do with self-preservation than principled objection to terrorism and love for the King.

I have heard far too many people come back from these 2 day "fact finding" missions and try to act as if they got out and saw the country and interacted with everyday Iraqis, when the truth is they were on carefully scheduled trips that gave them very little insight into realities on the ground, or into everyday Iraqi life.

As for US cities, whats your point?  How many US GIs were killed in US cities last year?  Do you think Jack is afraid to walk around Cap. Hill and pop into a donut shop and talk to regular Americans?  Did Jack have to take an armoured convoy home from Dulles?

If he did all you asked that would make him better than every single reporter that the NYT or WaPo has sent.  

surely you cant be that simple minded.  

And not to long ago there was a time people would travel the roads around DC in fear (the DC sniper ring a bell).  As to danger, better to be an American soldier in Iraq than an American citizen in California.  Check out the stats yourself.

Yeah, OK, but you're right up on the line. The Congressman is a guest. Don't go getting snarky with him.

and you say they are acting.

ever thought about stand up in Iraq? with a bodyguard of course.

You know about CNN's Eason Jordan's admission in 2003 that CNN agreed not to report bad news from Iraq for years in exchange for Saddam's permission for them to stay there.

The congressman made no such deal. But the folks you "hear" from did.

I my tone was respectful.   If I offended sorry, but the questions are still legitimate.

As Congressman he is going to have an audience for his message and that audience deserves some context.

God knows russert and softball won't.

Any actual quotes from NAMED servicemen that are dying to surrender from Murtha's lips?

But I agree, there's nothing wrong with asking questions, if they are not simply rhetorical.

Then turned around, and in arabic continued to declare that terrorism is good.

Words mean nothing...deeds everything.

When these people start turning in and killing terrorists, than their will be true progress.

Thanks congressman....but that dog wont hunt.

The ad was in Arabic, and Kingston's office got it translated by the Jordanian Embassy.

So unless you think Kingston had to get the Jordanians to translate from English to English, you don't seem to have read before replying.

Saturday. Just checking the board. And what do I find but this.

1-- Obviously hasn't read the post.

2-- Obviously unaware of King Abdullah's support for us both during the war and during the insurgency.

3-- And insults a guest.

Well, bubba, let me introduce you to what "won't hunt." You.

Go find someother place where peeing on the carpet is considered insight.

went off by themselves....

You may have heard about them. They are now hostages being threatened with death.

I also hope that the Congressman did a thorough fact finding job, but I wouldn't expect him to be suicidal about it.

The answer is a solid NO.  They WERE complaining, right up until they started turning territory over to Iraqi Security Forces.

The only thing they complain about still needing more of is explosives experts.  This from my cousin (the overworked explosives expert) who is coming home this month.

Equipment and personal otherwise are solid and good to go and they look forward to finishing the job and coming home.

US GIs were killed in US cities last year.  Not to include accidents or illness.

This is purely deaths due to violent crimes.

Yes, I went with Congressman Bill Shuster and three Dems and another Republican.

We had very limited travel outside of the green zone. The military is very cautious about letting Members move around.

However, what we lacked in geographic travel we made up in face time with troops, generals, and Iraqi officials.

My first trip to Iraq, in December 2003, we had much greater access outside of the green zone.

-Jack