Senate Democratic Committee Meeting concerning the conduct of the war in Iraq

Senate Democratic Policy Committee Hearing

Monday, September 25, 2006 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

138 Dirksen Senate Office Building

An Oversight Hearing on the Planning and Conduct of the War in Iraq


Here is the information about hearing that took place today:


Major General John R.S. Batiste - U.S. Army (Retired)


General Batiste: "Secretary Rumsfeld's dismal strategic decisions resulted in the unnecessary deaths of American service men and women, our allies and the good people of Iraq. He was responsible for America and our allies going to war with the wrong plan and a strategy that did not address the realities of fighting an insurgency. Secretary Rumsfeld built his team by systematically removing dissension. America went to war with his plan. To say that he listens to his generals is disingenuous. We are fighting with his strategy. He reduced force levels to unacceptable levels, micromanaged the war, and caused delays in the approval of troop requirements in the deployment process, which tied the hands of commanders while our troops were in contact with the enemy. At critical junctures, commanders were forced to focus on managing shortages, rather than leading, planning and anticipating opportunity. Through all of this, our congressional oversight committees were all but silent, not asking the tough questions as was done routinely during both world wars, Korea and Vietnam. Our Congress shares responsibility for what is and is not happening in Iraq and Afghanistan."

General Batiste: "I was privy to a meeting in 2002 where General Franks and some of his staff from US central command was to have briefed Donald Rumsfeld on the plan. It didn't get very far. The numbers were too high; for whatever reason they were ushered back to Tampa to try it again. And this process happened over and over and over again, until the plan was finally whittled down to this unacceptable level that we all accepted back in March of 2003. Completely ignored the insurgency which was an absolute certainty, completely ignored the hard work after the fall of Saddam Hussein, deployed insufficient troops and capability to the Iraqi theater of war so we could accomplish the mission."

http://democrats.senate.gov/dpc/hearings/hearing38/batiste.pdf

Statements from:

Major General Paul D. Eaton - U.S. Army (Retired)

http://democrats.senate.gov/dpc/hearings/hearing38/eaton.pdf

Colonel Thomas X. Hammes - U.S. Marine Corps (Retired)

http://democrats.senate.gov/dpc/hearings/hearing38/hammes.pdf