General's GOP credentials questioned by House GOP

by Frank James

At today's House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Maj. Gen. John Batiste (ret.) a combatant commander in Iraq during 2004 and 2005 and critic of the war, was treated suspiciously by some Republican members of the panel who questioned why he was in TV ads for VoteVets.org.

That organization has targeted some Republican members for ouster, which clearly angered the House Republicans who sought to portray the general's association with VoteVets as putting him in league with those on the other side of the aisle.

But Batiste said he was a "diehard" Republican, which led Rep. Ilena Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican, to warn the general to be careful since the antiwar crowd that would oppose any war, including the one against Islamic extremist which the general said he was very much for, might be using him a shield.

That discussion led to an exasperated Tony Cordesman, the analyst for the Center for Strategic and International Studies who was also testifying, to direct the conversation back to the matter at hand--the challenges facing the U.S. in Iraq, and what to do about them.

Here's that part of the hearing.

REP. BURTON: I guess the point I'm trying to make is let's give General Petraeus a chance. I know that the two gentlemen who oppose what's going on and think we ought to change things right now -- I understand that you are great seers of the future, that you can see into the future with your crystal ball and you know exactly what's going to happen, but I don't. This may be a terrible mistake. It may not work. I don't know. But I know the Congress appropriated money through September and we charged General Petraeus to come back and give us a report in September on the progress and that's when we should start making decisions on the future -- not now, not before we have all the facts.

And I appreciate you gentlemen's position. General Batiste, I appreciate your position. I know you're making commercials for the opposition. That's all right. But it should be made known before everybody that's televising this thing today.

And I want to say, Dr. Kagan, you're very thoughtful. I agree with what you've said and I think it's the right approach. And all I'd like to say is that I hope that the people of this country, and the members of Congress, will stay with General Petraeus until September, get a report and then make a decision on what should be done in the future. These gentlemen may be right, I don't know. I don't have a crystal ball, but I know one thing. We need to give this surge at least a chance; give General Petraeus, the man that's in charge, a chance; and then get a report from him.

I thank the chairman.

REP. : Will the gentlelady yield?

REP. BURTON: I don't have any more time, but I'll tell you -- you're going to have plenty --

REP. : I was asking the ranking member, who's time this is.

REP. BURTON: It was the gentlelady's time.

REP. : Yes.

REP. SANTOS: The gentleman will be recognized on his own time.

I will now give the floor to General Batiste, because his name was raised by my colleague, Mr. Burton.

GEN. BATISTE: Mr. Burton, if I were elected to this Congress I'd be sitting on the aisle on your side -- probably next to you. I'm a Republican. I voted for our president twice. I joined Vote Vets as a member of their board because I believe in what they're doing. It's all about what's right for this country. It's all about what's right for our military.

With my joining the organization, it is now bipartisan in every respect. I believe in the same concepts, sir, you believe in. I am a diehard Republican. Sir, thank you. This is not about partisan politics. That's the whole point. That's why we're here today. This is about what's good for America.

I support General David Petraeus, my West Point classmate. I know he'll render an accurate report in September, but this goes way beyond him. He needs help. He needs a nation mobilized. He needs a national strategy that makes sense, that's firing on all cylinders diplomatically, politically and economically. He needs an interagency process in Washington that's not dysfunctional.

This nation has some serious problems and we need to address them head on. Republicans, Democrats -- it doesn't matter. We're Americans and we're in trouble. Our military today is in trouble. Our Army and Marine Corps are at a breaking point. That doesn't sit well with me.

REP. ROS-LEHTINEN: Mr. Chairman, if I could reclaim my time for just a minute.

REP. LANTOS: Of course.

REP. ROS-LEHTINEN: And I know that the other gentleman will want to say -- but just -- General Batiste, thank you for your service. Thank you for your brave sacrifice. Thirty-one years in the United States Army. That's truly amazing.

But I'm wondering if you really think in your heart of hearts -- sorry, the bells are going off here for a vote -- that the folks that you are targeting in this political organization that you're involved with, I wonder if the ones who are going to run against those targeted Republicans -- and they're only Republicans that are being targeted -- if you think that they're really going to join you in this calling that you have of focusing our mission and your quote is, "to defeat worldwide Islamic extremists," I wish you much success with that, General, because I don't believe that for a minute.

I believe that the people you are targeting are the ones who will want to help you in this worldwide fight against Islamic extremists. And the folks that you're working to defeat will be substituted by people who use brave generals like you as a shield and as sort of a front to make them look like they're pro-military, when in fact, they will be always against any war at any time in any place. My humble opinion.

I love everybody being involved in democracy. In my homeland in Cuba we don't have democracy. So I like parties and I like PACs and I like people running ads and targeting and advocating for policies -- no problem. But I believe, General, that maybe you might be getting used. And these people who you're targeting for defeat, and the ones who will take their place, will in no way shape or form help you in fighting what I believe is a noble mission, which is focusing on Islamic radical extremists. But that's my point of view. But thank you for your service.

And thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

REP. LANTOS: Would you care to comment, General Batiste?

GEN. BATISTE: Ma'am, only to say that when I vote now I'm very careful -- as I think all Americans are -- to study who the candidates are, to understand their positions, to make a judgment on their intelligence and their moral courage to do the right thing. And my vote in the last election when Republican in some cases and Democratic in the other. We have to use our good intelligence to make these decisions.

I think our Founding Fathers intended us to elect people to go to Washington to represent the people. And over time, over the last decade, somehow we, the people, have abrogated these responsibilities and sent people to Washington to be our leaders. I believe that's a big mistake. It's not what our Founding Fathers intended. We elect people to go to Washington to represent the people and we've stepped away from that. And my support for these ads was nothing more than a wake up call to some Republicans that I don't think understands the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan.

REP. ROS-LEHTINEN: Do you think that there --

GEN. BATISTE: Perhaps --

REP. ROS-LEHTINEN: General, do you think that there's some Democrats who might not understand? I mean, I'm just so puzzled that --

GEN. BATISTE: Sure.

REP. ROS-LEHTINEN: -- a wonderful Republican like you would only be involved in ads targeting Republicans. It's puzzling.

GEN. BATISTE: I wouldn't vote for those Democrats.

REP. ROS-LEHTINEN: Yeah, but the ads are only focusing on Republicans. I just find that interesting.

And Mr. Chairman, I'm done with it. You can go back to your line of questioning.

REP. LANTOS: Professor Cordesman, do you want to comment on Mr. Burton's observation?

MR. CORDESMAN: Mr. Chairman, I don't have any partisan links or ties. But what bothers me -- not about what Congressman Burton said, but about the whole process of what has happened here over the years since 2003 -- is we have never had a coherent plan or strategy.

We have never had honest metrics of the progress we are or are not making. The report on the surge will be very important. I think we have all said regardless of what happens it can't be decisive as early as September, but what really bothers me more than anything else and where the Congress should play, I think, a critical role is insisting that the administration has a credible political plan, a credible plan for tying in economic aid, a credible plan to look beyond what happens in Baghdad, and a credible plan to deal with what happens in the region whether we succeed or fail. And what bothers me having lived through Vietnam and lived through a president, Lyndon Johnson, who could not cope with these realities is we cannot afford to repeat that experience. And that to me is the horrifying parallel that I see. If that plan exists it needs to be presented honestly, objectively, and in ways that can win the support of the American people and provide enduring support for success. If it can't, we should not remain there.