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SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN REMARKS ON THE NOMINATION OF GENERAL CASEY FOR CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY
Washington, D.C.-- Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today, made the following statement on the floor of the Senate regarding General Casey's Nomination for Chief of Staff of the United States Army:
"Mr. President, I come again this morning in not a particularly pleasant task of opposing the nomination of General Casey to be Chief of Staff of the United States Army. And I again preface my remarks with my appreciation for his honorable service to the country, his family, and the sacrifices that they have made for many, many years. And this isn’t a question of character, because his character is outstanding. It’s a question of judgment.
"Now, Mr. President, I try to put this in the context of why I’m in opposition. For several years I and a number of others have bemoaned and complained and criticized and been saddened as we’ve watched this train wreck in Iraq. Not long after the initial invasion, I came back from a visit to Iraq and visited with the then-Secretary of Defense who bears great responsibility for this debacle, and history will judge him very, very badly for his performance as Secretary of Defense, and told him how imperative it was that we were not going to win, we were not going to succeed, that we didn’t have enough troops over there, that Anbar province was going to erupt and basically all the things many of us thought were going to transpire.
"Now, General Casey, for two and a half years, up until recently would come back to the Congress and say that things were going well. I quoted many quotes yesterday from time to time, including the 2005 one saying we could start withdrawing by 2006, and on and on, completely divorced from reality on the ground. Completely divorced, as was the Secretary of Defense. And I will state at the beginning Presidents are responsible. Presidents are responsible. But Presidents also rely on the advice and counsel of their military leaders. That’s just a normal thing to happen and has happened in every conflict. And President Bush said time and time again, "I’ve said to the American people as Iraqis stand up, we’ll stand down. But I also said our commanders on the ground will make that decision. And I will talk to General Casey." On and on.
"The Army’s getting on its feet. We turned over a lot of territory to the army. They’re good fighters. I spent a great deal of time with General Casey there in Washington. They are generals who will happy to hear, tell me the way it is, not the way I think it would like to be. Time after time it appears the President of the United States, as appropriate, has been relying on the advice and counsel of the commanders in the field, who did not give him appropriate information or recommendations, in my view. We are all responsible. In the military you are responsible for the decisions that you make on the battlefield, particularly when they cost our money valuable and important asset. That’s American blood.
"In his opening statement at the Senate Armed Services Committed on September 29 he said the capacity of Iraqi forces has increased over the past year and we have developed a readiness system not unlike the one we have in place for our own forces. Over the past 18 months we have built enough Iraqi capacity where we can begin talking seriously about transitioning this counterinsurgency mission to them. Did he realize at the time the statement was wrong? And when did he tell someone? At the same hearing General Casey said more coalition is not necessarily better. More and more capable Iraqi security forces are better. Increased coalition presence speeds the notion of occupation. It contributes to the dependence of Iraqi security forces on the coalition.
"It extends the amount of time it will take for Iraqi security forces to become self-reliant and exposes more coalition forces to attacks at a time when Iraqi security forces are increasingly available and increasingly capable. There has been no sign of that, Mr. President. Why did it take 15 months for General Casey to change that assessment and then not even agree that the new strategy of five additional brigades, which most of us pray is enough and most of us believe is a direct contravention to the Powell Doctrine which is use overwhelming force in order to gain militarily.
"President Bush said General Casey will make decisions as to how many troops we have there. Why did it take two and a half years (no audio)--didn't have enough troops there. And the situation is worsening in Iraq. The N.I.E. that came out yesterday should frighten anyone, any American because of the stark depiction in the NIE public document. That states that the situation is grave and deteriorating in Iraq, which is also the conclusions of the Iraq Study Group, whether you happen to agree with their recommendations or not. Mr. President, responsibility is one of the first things that’s taught at our service academies. We are responsible for our decisions. When the Missouri runs aground, where do we leave the captain- we relieve the captain. Now what we’re doing is we’re rewarding failure, just as we did during the Vietnam War. We named General Wes Moreland as Chief of Staff of the Army after a failed search and destroy. There are some parallels here. General Wes Moreland employed the search-and-destroy strategy. The counterinsurgency strategy is clear and hold and build. That’s not what has been done in the past under General Casey. So, what are we doing?
"We are promoting a general who has pursued a failed policy, advocated it to the President of the United States, whom he is responsible to advising, advocating it to the Congress of the United States, despite the overwhelming view by many of us that was not a successful strategy. And still today, where he will be in place if he is confirmed by the United States Senate, responsible for the operations, the training and the doctrine that will be employed in Iraq. And he still to this day, as far as I know, as far as a hearing a short time ago, believes- and I could give the quote- that we are not failing, that we are succeeding. I don’t know of anyone who believes that that’s in a responsible position in government.
"So, Mr. President, it is with a bit of regret I do this. Again, I would repeat what I said yesterday. Senator Levin asked him, "I’m wondering whether you would agree that what we’re doing in Iraq was ‘maybe a slow failure’?"
General Casey: "I didn’t. I actually don’t see it as a slow failure. I actually see it as slow progress."
"How could you depict the situation in Baghdad today with six H-L cop terse being shot down in the last few weeks, with a spike in casualties that has taken place and the continued level of sectarian violence that it’s a slow progress?
"So, I want to tell my friends that people in the military, particularly our young officers, are watching what we do here. We teach them, we teach them in our service schools and we teach our noncommissioned officers and our junior officers, you’re responsible. You’re responsible for success or failure. That’s why we appoint you as leaders. And in case, this leader, despite his honorable character and his dedication ton this country, has not led and his responsibility has not been carried out.
"So, Mr. President, I hope that my colleagues will turn down this nomination and that we will appoint one of the many. Many highly qualified military, senior military officers that we have to fulfill this position. May I just finally, say Mr. President, I’m very nervous about the new strategy. I’m not sure - - in fact, I’m very doubtful we have enough troops. I don’t know if the Maliki government will be strong enough. But if General Casey is appointed to this position, my confidence will be lowered because it’s not appropriate to put someone who does not support wholeheartedly the new strategy in the position where he will be responsible for a great deal of it. And to this day doesn’t admit that this policy has, present strategy has failed. Mr. President, do I have any time remaining?"
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"I thank you, Mr. President. And let me just make it clear, I don’t support medals for failure. I don’t support promotion to higher position for failure. I believe that the awards and accolades that Senator Levin alluded to that been provided to those who have committed egregious failures was not only inappropriate, it was absolutely insulting.
"And I also, though, would point out that history will judge many of these people who have been give medals of various types and already that judgment has been harsh. All of us are more concerned about our place in history that we are medals. History and the American people are already judging the failures and the misleading statements like stuff happens and mission accomplished and few dead enders and last throes and all of those statements that have been made over the past 3 ½ years which led the American people to believe that we were succeeding in Iraq when many of us knew we weren’t. We violated a fundamental principle called the Powell Doctrine, that if you want to win, you go in with overwhelming force. And the reason why I’m very concerned today, even though we have a very outstanding general in Petraeus, the fact is that I’m not sure that we have enough troops still.
"Mr. President, throughout our history, military commanders have been held responsible. Abraham Lincoln held General McClellan responsible and fired him in World War II, those who were in command that were responsible for December 7, 1941, were held responsible. In the Korean War, General McArthur was held responsible. The fact is that military leaders are held responsible as well as civilian leaders. And Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have put in the record the number of times President Bush said that he relied on the judgment of the military commanders. Those military commanders did not exercise good judgment and, inaccurate depiction of facts on the ground in Iraq as they came before our committee, the Armed Services Committee, and spoke to the President of the United States and the American people.
"Mr. President, in 2004, General Casey said, "My view of winning is that are broadly on track to accomplishing our objectives. With Iraq security forces capable of maintaining domestic order and denying Iraqis a safe haven for terror, I believe we’re on track to get there by September of 2005. We have a strategy and plan for success in Iraq. We’re broadly on track in achieving our goals."
"Time after time, the American people were told that things were going fine, and they were not. I want to emphasize again, Mr. President, I believe that General Casey has served this nation honorably. I think his family and he have made great sacrifices for this country. I have nothing but respect. But to reward failure is going to send a message all around the military that I don’t think is a healthy one. And I don’t support promotion. I don’t support medals for failure. I support people being held responsible, and I regret that those who have been responsible for it honestly inside have not been held more responsible. Although as we speak today, the American people, by their opinions as reflected in the polls, are certainly reflecting their judgment able the performance and the responsibility of our civilian leaders. Mr. President, I hope that we can move forward and obtain success in Iraq under this new strategy. I’m not sure right now that General Casey completely supports it. And I don’t think that it enhances our chance for succeeding in Iraq. I urge my colleagues to vote."
Washington, D.C.-- Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today, made the following statement on the floor of the Senate regarding General Casey's Nomination for Chief of Staff of the United States Army:
"Mr. President, I come again this morning in not a particularly pleasant task of opposing the nomination of General Casey to be Chief of Staff of the United States Army. And I again preface my remarks with my appreciation for his honorable service to the country, his family, and the sacrifices that they have made for many, many years. And this isn’t a question of character, because his character is outstanding. It’s a question of judgment.
"Now, Mr. President, I try to put this in the context of why I’m in opposition. For several years I and a number of others have bemoaned and complained and criticized and been saddened as we’ve watched this train wreck in Iraq. Not long after the initial invasion, I came back from a visit to Iraq and visited with the then-Secretary of Defense who bears great responsibility for this debacle, and history will judge him very, very badly for his performance as Secretary of Defense, and told him how imperative it was that we were not going to win, we were not going to succeed, that we didn’t have enough troops over there, that Anbar province was going to erupt and basically all the things many of us thought were going to transpire.
"Now, General Casey, for two and a half years, up until recently would come back to the Congress and say that things were going well. I quoted many quotes yesterday from time to time, including the 2005 one saying we could start withdrawing by 2006, and on and on, completely divorced from reality on the ground. Completely divorced, as was the Secretary of Defense. And I will state at the beginning Presidents are responsible. Presidents are responsible. But Presidents also rely on the advice and counsel of their military leaders. That’s just a normal thing to happen and has happened in every conflict. And President Bush said time and time again, "I’ve said to the American people as Iraqis stand up, we’ll stand down. But I also said our commanders on the ground will make that decision. And I will talk to General Casey." On and on.
"The Army’s getting on its feet. We turned over a lot of territory to the army. They’re good fighters. I spent a great deal of time with General Casey there in Washington. They are generals who will happy to hear, tell me the way it is, not the way I think it would like to be. Time after time it appears the President of the United States, as appropriate, has been relying on the advice and counsel of the commanders in the field, who did not give him appropriate information or recommendations, in my view. We are all responsible. In the military you are responsible for the decisions that you make on the battlefield, particularly when they cost our money valuable and important asset. That’s American blood.
"In his opening statement at the Senate Armed Services Committed on September 29 he said the capacity of Iraqi forces has increased over the past year and we have developed a readiness system not unlike the one we have in place for our own forces. Over the past 18 months we have built enough Iraqi capacity where we can begin talking seriously about transitioning this counterinsurgency mission to them. Did he realize at the time the statement was wrong? And when did he tell someone? At the same hearing General Casey said more coalition is not necessarily better. More and more capable Iraqi security forces are better. Increased coalition presence speeds the notion of occupation. It contributes to the dependence of Iraqi security forces on the coalition.
"It extends the amount of time it will take for Iraqi security forces to become self-reliant and exposes more coalition forces to attacks at a time when Iraqi security forces are increasingly available and increasingly capable. There has been no sign of that, Mr. President. Why did it take 15 months for General Casey to change that assessment and then not even agree that the new strategy of five additional brigades, which most of us pray is enough and most of us believe is a direct contravention to the Powell Doctrine which is use overwhelming force in order to gain militarily.
"President Bush said General Casey will make decisions as to how many troops we have there. Why did it take two and a half years (no audio)--didn't have enough troops there. And the situation is worsening in Iraq. The N.I.E. that came out yesterday should frighten anyone, any American because of the stark depiction in the NIE public document. That states that the situation is grave and deteriorating in Iraq, which is also the conclusions of the Iraq Study Group, whether you happen to agree with their recommendations or not. Mr. President, responsibility is one of the first things that’s taught at our service academies. We are responsible for our decisions. When the Missouri runs aground, where do we leave the captain- we relieve the captain. Now what we’re doing is we’re rewarding failure, just as we did during the Vietnam War. We named General Wes Moreland as Chief of Staff of the Army after a failed search and destroy. There are some parallels here. General Wes Moreland employed the search-and-destroy strategy. The counterinsurgency strategy is clear and hold and build. That’s not what has been done in the past under General Casey. So, what are we doing?
"We are promoting a general who has pursued a failed policy, advocated it to the President of the United States, whom he is responsible to advising, advocating it to the Congress of the United States, despite the overwhelming view by many of us that was not a successful strategy. And still today, where he will be in place if he is confirmed by the United States Senate, responsible for the operations, the training and the doctrine that will be employed in Iraq. And he still to this day, as far as I know, as far as a hearing a short time ago, believes- and I could give the quote- that we are not failing, that we are succeeding. I don’t know of anyone who believes that that’s in a responsible position in government.
"So, Mr. President, it is with a bit of regret I do this. Again, I would repeat what I said yesterday. Senator Levin asked him, "I’m wondering whether you would agree that what we’re doing in Iraq was ‘maybe a slow failure’?"
General Casey: "I didn’t. I actually don’t see it as a slow failure. I actually see it as slow progress."
"How could you depict the situation in Baghdad today with six H-L cop terse being shot down in the last few weeks, with a spike in casualties that has taken place and the continued level of sectarian violence that it’s a slow progress?
"So, I want to tell my friends that people in the military, particularly our young officers, are watching what we do here. We teach them, we teach them in our service schools and we teach our noncommissioned officers and our junior officers, you’re responsible. You’re responsible for success or failure. That’s why we appoint you as leaders. And in case, this leader, despite his honorable character and his dedication ton this country, has not led and his responsibility has not been carried out.
"So, Mr. President, I hope that my colleagues will turn down this nomination and that we will appoint one of the many. Many highly qualified military, senior military officers that we have to fulfill this position. May I just finally, say Mr. President, I’m very nervous about the new strategy. I’m not sure - - in fact, I’m very doubtful we have enough troops. I don’t know if the Maliki government will be strong enough. But if General Casey is appointed to this position, my confidence will be lowered because it’s not appropriate to put someone who does not support wholeheartedly the new strategy in the position where he will be responsible for a great deal of it. And to this day doesn’t admit that this policy has, present strategy has failed. Mr. President, do I have any time remaining?"
---
"I thank you, Mr. President. And let me just make it clear, I don’t support medals for failure. I don’t support promotion to higher position for failure. I believe that the awards and accolades that Senator Levin alluded to that been provided to those who have committed egregious failures was not only inappropriate, it was absolutely insulting.
"And I also, though, would point out that history will judge many of these people who have been give medals of various types and already that judgment has been harsh. All of us are more concerned about our place in history that we are medals. History and the American people are already judging the failures and the misleading statements like stuff happens and mission accomplished and few dead enders and last throes and all of those statements that have been made over the past 3 ½ years which led the American people to believe that we were succeeding in Iraq when many of us knew we weren’t. We violated a fundamental principle called the Powell Doctrine, that if you want to win, you go in with overwhelming force. And the reason why I’m very concerned today, even though we have a very outstanding general in Petraeus, the fact is that I’m not sure that we have enough troops still.
"Mr. President, throughout our history, military commanders have been held responsible. Abraham Lincoln held General McClellan responsible and fired him in World War II, those who were in command that were responsible for December 7, 1941, were held responsible. In the Korean War, General McArthur was held responsible. The fact is that military leaders are held responsible as well as civilian leaders. And Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have put in the record the number of times President Bush said that he relied on the judgment of the military commanders. Those military commanders did not exercise good judgment and, inaccurate depiction of facts on the ground in Iraq as they came before our committee, the Armed Services Committee, and spoke to the President of the United States and the American people.
"Mr. President, in 2004, General Casey said, "My view of winning is that are broadly on track to accomplishing our objectives. With Iraq security forces capable of maintaining domestic order and denying Iraqis a safe haven for terror, I believe we’re on track to get there by September of 2005. We have a strategy and plan for success in Iraq. We’re broadly on track in achieving our goals."
"Time after time, the American people were told that things were going fine, and they were not. I want to emphasize again, Mr. President, I believe that General Casey has served this nation honorably. I think his family and he have made great sacrifices for this country. I have nothing but respect. But to reward failure is going to send a message all around the military that I don’t think is a healthy one. And I don’t support promotion. I don’t support medals for failure. I support people being held responsible, and I regret that those who have been responsible for it honestly inside have not been held more responsible. Although as we speak today, the American people, by their opinions as reflected in the polls, are certainly reflecting their judgment able the performance and the responsibility of our civilian leaders. Mr. President, I hope that we can move forward and obtain success in Iraq under this new strategy. I’m not sure right now that General Casey completely supports it. And I don’t think that it enhances our chance for succeeding in Iraq. I urge my colleagues to vote."
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