"Of the $18.4 billion the Congress appropriated for Iraq more than 10 months ago, only $1.1 billion has been disbursed," Lugar said. "This is an extraordinary, ineffective administrative procedure. It is exasperating."
...
"The military is not going to ultimately win Iraq," said Hagel, who then drew on a phrase from the Vietnam War. "You don't win the hearts and minds of the people at the end of a barrel of a gun.
"This is how we get ourselves into trouble: when we delude ourselves," said Hagel, referring to administration assurances that great progress has been made. "Of $4.2 billion designated for water and sanitation, $16 million has been spent; ... of $786 million earmarked for health, $2 million has been spent. It's beyond pitiful. It's beyond embarrassing. It is now in the zone of dangerous.
...
Before he retired Aug. 31, Republican Rep. Doug Bereuter, who represented eastern Nebraska for 13 terms in Congress, sent an extraordinary letter to his constituents.
The prewar reports of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction represent a "massive intelligence failure," Bereuter wrote. And "the inability of the administration to clearly establish a link between al-Qaeda and Saddam (Hussein), despite the intimations of various administration leaders like Vice President Dick Cheney, is no surprise."
The war is "a mistake," Bereuter wrote. "The cost in casualties is already large and growing, and the immediate and long-term financial costs are incredible."
Kerry couldn't say it better than these two Republican congressmen have. Of course, when he says it, he is being defeatist and unhelpfully negative.
Let's all give a big cheer for Mr. Bush, the most most wonderful Prez we've ever seen!
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