Hagel rips Crocker, calls diplomatic surge "thin" Posted by Max Bergmann

Senator Hagel goes after Crocker. He points out that Crocker's evidence on behalf of a "diplomatic surge" is incredibly thin. "Where is the surge? What are you talking about?" Hagel asks.

Crocker's defense is very weak. He points to low level meetings and discussions. In terms of talking to Iranians, Crocker points to limited discussions at lower levels of government. What Hagel is talking about though, is that there has been no concerted effort on the part of this adminstration to enact a "diplomatic surge." A real diplomatic surge would entail Rice, Gates, or a special envoy for the region - people from the highest level of the government - reaching out to Iraq's neighbors and being able to talk not just about Iraq but all regional issues. That just hasn't happened and to claim that there has been a diplomatic surge is, as Hagel says, very very "thin."

Comments

[Dan Kervick]

What Hagel is talking about though, is that there has been no concerted effort on the part of this adminstration to enact a "diplomatic surge."

Which is further evidence of the fact that this administration has not the slightest intention of doing anything that might result in a US departure from Iraq - whether next year, two years from now, five years from now, ten years from now or twenty years from now. For them, the risk of a diplomatic surge is that it might actually work.

When is one of these Senators just going to put it bluntly to Crocker and Petraeus, and say, "So you guys have just been sent here to sell us a permanent presence in Iraq, right?"