...while Panetta’s book reinforces longstanding criticism of Obama’s Iraq policy, his assessment clashes mightily with his public statements about the administration’s efforts to secure a status of forces agreement (SOFA) with Iraq.Iraq told us to get out, which was their right, and Syria let the terrorist insurgents fester…not sure which president was supposed to be able to look into a crystal ball and figure that out…made me recall this Panetta-related clip (CYA 101 here as far as I’m concerned)…
For instance, during an Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Iraq in November of 2011, Panetta specifically dismissed McCain’s claims that the Obama administration was committed (to) complete withdrawal and did not want to leave residual troops in Iraq, reminding the Arizona senator that Iraqi leaders must agree to American presence in the country and provide American soldiers with immunity from prosecution.
“Senator McCain, that’s just simply not true,” Panetta began. “I guess you can believe that and I respect your beliefs…but that’s not how it happened. This is about negotiating with a sovereign country. An independent country, this was about their needs. This is not about us telling them what we’re going to do for them or what they’re going to have to do. … This is about their country making a decision as to what is necessary here.”
He stressed that for American troops to remain in the country, “you absolutely have to have immunities and those immunities have to be granted by a SOFA agreement. I was not about to have our troops go there in place without those immunities.”
...and I have to tell you that I actually was having a pleasant evening until I saw this (I really wish this guy would go away. I really do).
I give you the latest from the campaign of Kevin Strouse, running against Mikey the Beloved for the latter's U.S. House seat...KEVIN STROUSE CALLS ON CONGRESSMAN FITZPATRICK TO PLEDGE TO NOT SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT WHILE RECEIVING THE ENDORSEMENT OF “SENIOR VOTES COUNT!”
Jon “Bowzer” Bauman, “Senior Votes Count!” co-founder / star from legendary rock band Sha Na Na, endorses Kevin Strouse for Congress
Bristol, PA - Today, Kevin Strouse received the endorsement of “Senior Votes Count!” as he called on Congressman Fitzpatrick to take a government shutdown off the table. As we quickly approach the October 1st start of the 2015 fiscal year, Strouse is urging Congressman Fitzpatrick to give voters certainty that he won’t allow a repeat of his disastrous Republican shutdown.
In the district, Congressman Fitzpatrick claims that he worked tirelessly to stop the government shutdown. He’s even willing to mislead his constituents by claiming that he supported a clean continuing resolution. However, the facts show that Congressman Fitzpatrick voted 17 times against efforts to reopen the government throughout the shutdown.
Strouse commented “8th district voters deserve a pledge from Congressman Fitzpatrick to not repeat the same shutdown disaster that he brought us through last year. Before the shutdown, Fitzpatrick said that “a shutdown of the federal government is the ultimate admission of failure to do your job.” Well, by his own measure, Congressman Fitzpatrick is a failure.”
“Senior Votes Count!” co-founder / legendary rock and roll star Jon “Bowzer” Bauman threw his support behind Kevin as he slammed Congressman Fitzpatrick for his abysmal 16% lifetime rating from the Alliance for Retired Americans and for his vote to shut down the government.
In September of 2013, Congressman Fitzpatrick claimed that shutting down the government is off the table for him. However, In October 2013, the Associated Press reported that Fitzpatrick sided with Republicans in a vote that led to the government shutdown.
Strouse continued, “Congressman Fitzpatrick told us last year that he wouldn’t allow a government shutdown.. But then in a blaze of partisan glory, he ignored his constituents, shut down the federal government, and voted 17 times against efforts to reopen it. While it’s clear that a promise from Congressman Fitzpatrick doesn’t mean much, voters deserve to know his stance on the issues.”
BACKGROUND:
The Associated Press Reported that Mike Fitzpatrick Sided with Republicans in Vote that “Resulted in the Government Shutdown”“After weeks of trying to balance the wishes of his moderate district and House conservatives, he sided with most congressional Republicans in refusing to approve a measure that would have kept the government operating because it also would have continued to pay for the health care law. Democrats, who control the White House and the Senate, refused to delay or destroy the landmark health care law. The impasse resulted in the government shutdown.” [Associated Press, 10/10/13]
Following the government shutdown, Fitzpatrick voted sixteen times against efforts to vote on a clean government funding resolution by allowing consideration of the Senate-passed continuing resolution: [H Res 370, Vote #509, 10/02/13; HJ Res 70, Vote #512, 10/02/13; HR 3230, Vote #515, 10/03/13; HJ Res 72, Vote #517, 10/03/13; H Res 371, Vote #519, 10/04/13; HJ Res 85, Vote #521, 10/04/13; HJ Res 75, Vote #523, 10/04/13; H J Res 77, Vote #527, 10/7/13; HJ Res 84, Vote #529, 10/08/13; H Res 373, Vote #531, 10/08/13; HR 3273, Vote #533, 10/08/13; HJ Res 90, Vote #536, 10/09/13; HJ Res 79, Vote #539, 10/10/13; HJ Res 76, Vote #541, 10/11/13; HJ Res 380, Vote #543, 10/11/13; HJ Res 80, Vote #547, 10/14/13]
Fitzpatrick: “Shutting Down the Government is off the Table for me”“Fitzpatrick said ‘shutting down the government is off the table for me,’ hinting [though not explicitly saying] he won’t take the repeal fight so far that it drags the government over the edge.” [Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/20/13]
Fitzpatrick: “None of us wanted this Shutdown. We Worked Tirelessly to Stop it” In October 2013, in a joint op-ed, Fitzpatrick claimed he has always opposed a shutdown.
“None of us wanted this shutdown. We worked tirelessly to stop it and to keep the government funded. And that continues today. We have also worked to repeal, defund, delay, and dismantle Obamacare. And for good reason. It’s led to lost coverage, fewer jobs, and higher insurance costs for families.” [Philadelphia Inquirer, Congressmen Meehan, Dent, Barletta, Gerlach, Fitzpatrick, Runyan, and Lobiondo op-ed, 10/6/13]
Congressman Fitzpatrick has a 16% Lifetime Rating from the Alliance for Retired Americans [Alliance for Retired Americans, Pennsylvania Delegation Voting Record]
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Kevin Strouse is a former Army Ranger, CIA counterterrorism analyst, and veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan who lives in Middletown, Pa., with his wife, Amy, and two young children, Walter and Charlotte. He is currently Program Director of Teach2Serve, a non-profit that teaches social entrepreneurship to regional high school students. He earned his BA from Columbia University and a Masters in Security Studies from Georgetown University, graduating with honors.
