Wow. That Senator Barbara Boxer is certainly a terrible person. Just look how she attacks and ridicules that sweet little Condi Rice!
From the transcript of last Thursday’s Senate hearings:
SENATOR BARBARA BOXER: The Military Times published a poll which found that only 35 percent of military members approved of the way President Bush is handling this war, and only 38 percent thought there should be more troops.
So from where I sit, Madame Secretary, you are not listening to the American people. You are not listening to the military. You are not listening to the bipartisan voices from the Senate. You are not listening to the Iraq Study Group. Only you know who you are listening to, and you wonder why there is a dark cloud of skepticism and pessimism over this nation. I think people are right to be skeptical after listening to some of the things that have been said by your administration.
For example, October 19th ‘05, you came before this committee to discuss, in your words, how we assure victory in Iraq, and you said the following. In answer to Senator Feingold, “I have no doubt that as the Iraqi security forces get better — and they are getting better and are holding territory, and they are doing the things with minimal help — we are going to be able to bring down the level of our forces. I have no doubt” — I want to reiterate — “I have no doubt that that’s going to happen in a reasonable time frame.” You had no doubt, not a doubt. And last night, the president’s announcement of an escalation is a total rebuke of your confident pronouncement.
Now, the issue is who pays the price, who pays the price? I’m not going to pay a personal price. My kids are too old, and my grandchild is too young. You’re not going to pay a particular price, as I understand it, within immediate family. So who pays the price? The American military and their families, and I just want to bring us back to that fact.
[...]
SENATOR BARBARA BOXER: So who pays the price? Not me. Not you. These are the people who pay the price.
So I want to ask you, since this administration has been so clear about how this has been coalition and a coalition. You’ve already said that we don’t have anybody else escalating their presence at this time. Is that correct? (No audible reply.) That is correct.
Have you seen the recent news that the British are going to bringing home thousands of troops in the near future?
SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE: I have seen the stories about what the British are going to do. I’ll wait for a confirmation from the British government about what they’re going to do.
SENATOR BARBARA BOXER: Okay. I would ask unanimous consent to place into the record the article from today that announces that that’s what they’re going to do, is bring home thousands of troops. And I want to point out to the American people: we are all alone. We are all alone. There’s no other country standing with us in this escalation. And if you look at this coalition, the closest to us — we’ve got about 130(,000), 140,000 troops. I don’t have the exact number. The Brits had 7,200. They’re going to be announcing they’re bringing home, as I understand it, more than 3,000 of those. The next biggest coalition member is Poland, with 900, and after that Australia, with 300. No one is joining us in this surge.
Do you have an estimate of the number of casualties we expect from this surge?
SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE: No, Senator, I don’t think there’s any way to give you such an estimate.
SENATOR BARBARA BOXER: Has the president — because he said expect more sacrifice, he must know.
SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE: Senator, I don’t think that any of us have a number that — of expected casualties. I think that people understand that there is going to be violence for some time in Iraq and that there will be more casualties.
And let me just say, you know, I fully understand the sacrifice that the American people are making, and especially the sacrifice that our soldiers are making, men and women in uniform. I visit them. I know what they’re going through. I talk to their families. I see it.
I could never — and I can never — do anything to replace any of those lost men and women in uniform, or the diplomats, some of whom –
SENATOR BARBARA BOXER: Madame Secretary, please, I know you feel terrible about it. That’s not the point. I was making the case as to who pays the price for your decisions. And the fact that this administration would move forward with this escalation with no clue as to the further price that we’re going to pay militarily — we certainly know the numbers, billions of dollars, that we can’t spend here in this country. I find really appalling that there’s not even enough time taken to figure out what the casualties would be. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
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