Excuse me while a rebuke a few lefties

Came across this yesterday.

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld heard from critics including panel Chairman John Warner, R-Va. The comments marked a continuation of bipartisan criticism the administration has received in recent months from members of Congress over its Iraq policies.

Warner said that without an effective Iraqi government that has leaders with "strong backbones, not subject to secular pulls," it was unclear whether U.S. troops would be able to return home even if Iraq's military and security forces are competent.

Excuse me, but can someone tell me what qualifies Mr Warner to make such an assessment? Has he even been to Iraq? Is he in the military? Does he have any military experience? I say this because the troop commanders in Iraq are saying exactly the opposite. They say that we can have a stable Iraqi government. Is Mr Warner saying these men are incorrect in that assessment?

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., said he was troubled by the administration's suggestion that it wasn't likely to contribute any more U.S. money for Iraq's reconstruction.

Interesting. I thought Congress controlled the money and how it’s paid out.

Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, the panel's top Democrat, said the Bush administration has failed to clearly tell Iraqis they must amend their constitution to ensure power and resources are shared equitably and a government is created that reflects the country, not sectarian groups. The newly elected Iraqi parliament seems likely to be controlled by Shiites, leaving Sunnis with a small role.

Oh really, Senator Levin? Well, it took me about 5 minutes to find the following on net.

President Bush in Donnelly, Idaho, Aug 23, 2005
"...women have rights, inherent rights recognized in the constitution, and that the constitution talks about not "the religion," but "a religion." Twenty-five percent of the assembly is going to be women, which is embedded in the constitution. I repeat to you that we're watching an amazing event unfold, and that is the writing of a constitution which guarantees minority rights, women's rights, freedom to worship, in a part of the world that had only -- in a country that had only known dictatorship.

After a meeting with an Iraqi spokesman:
The spokesman, Haitham al-Husseini, said Bush wanted to talk about developments in the constitutional process and to make sure no sides were left out of the negotiations.

August 26, 2005
President Bush took a break during his trip to Nampa, Idaho, this week, and made an unusual call to a key Shiite leader in Iraq about the talks underway in Baghdad on a new constitution.
The call to Abdul-Aziz Hakim, first reported by the New York Times, urged him to continue including Sunni leaders in the final discussions about the constitution being drafted by an elected assembly.

Sorry, just making sure the facts are clear. I can't these guys get away with stuff like that.