The Politico reports that Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader in the United States Senate, has labeled both the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Marine General Peter Pace, as well as the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, General David Petraeus, as “incompetent.” Here’s the relevant quote from the Politico:
We have the following statement from Senator John McCain:
I think outrageous would be another word to describe Reid’s comments, and on a number of levels. If Reid really believes this to be true, than why not say it directly to the American people. He’s talking about two men who have devoted themselves to a life of service and honor, and while that does not exempt them from criticism, it ought to exempt them from being stabbed in the back by the likes of Reid. We wonder if the Democratic presidential candidates will distance themselves from these remarks, which go far beyond an assessment of the facts on the ground to attack the character of this country’s military leaders. And shouldn’t Republican senators be calling for Reid’s resignation, or at least for him to step down as majority leader–this is a man who seems more concerned with currying favor in the blogosphere than supporting American troops, and their commanders, fighting in Iraq. As Powerline‘s Scott Johnson writes, it seems there’s “No depth too low to stoop for partisan victory, no price too great to be paid for defeat of the United States.” This is an outrage–Reid isn’t fit to shine the boots of either Petraeus or Pace.
