WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth), Vice Chair of the Republican Conference, today issued the following statement in response to the ad MoveOn.org ran in this morning’s New York Times.

 

 

“The petty attacks leveled against a decorated and honorable general like General Petraues by MoveOn.org’ ad in this morning’s New York Times illustrates why groups like MoveOn.org have no place in a serious, public debate.  

 

“It should be noted that General Petraeus has served our nation for over 30 years, has a Ph.D. and was confirmed unanimously by the Democratic-led Senate.  He is not a partisan and everyone should want to hear what he and Ambassador Crocker have to say today.

 

“We need to keep in mind what the point of today’s briefing is. Members of Congress and the American public need to know how much or how little progress General Petraeus believes we are making in Iraq, what roadblocks he thinks we are facing, and which of these roadblocks can be removed and which can’t. Ultimately, we need to know what his prognosis for stability in Iraq is.

 

“I urge all Members, especially my Democratic Colleagues, to keep an open mind today when listening to General Petraeus’ report. Unless we can raise the tone of this debate to a more serious one, we are going to put ourselves further away from being able to work together to find solutions to many of the problems we face in the broader Middle East.  The consequences of failure are just too grave for politics to supersede what is best for our national interest at this critical point in history.”