Harry Reid 'War is Lost' Mantra Answered by Joe Lieberman

US Senate leader Harry Reid was roundly criticized for peddling a United States Military defeat this week.  Many believe that US Democrats like Reid are so heavily invested in the defeat of the American Military in Iraq, they are willing to undermine the troops with statements like this one.  "This war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything, as is shown by the extreme violence in Iraq this week," Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters, referring to the US-led security push in Baghdad.

Harry Reid 'War is Lost' Mantra Answered by Joe Lieberman

He was answered by one-time Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee Joe Lieberman.  Senator Lieberman, an Independent from Connecticut, said in a statement, "With all due respect, I strongly disagree. Senator Reid's statement is not based on military facts on the ground in Iraq and does not advance our cause there."

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He continues: "Al Qaeda's strategy for victory in Iraq is clear. They are trying to murder as many innocent civilians as possible in an effort to reignite sectarian fighting and drive us to retreat from Iraq."

"The question now before us is whether we respond to these terrorist attacks by running away as Al Qaeda hopes - abandoning the future of Iraq, the Middle East, and ultimately our own security to the very same people responsible for this week's atrocities - or whether we stand united to fight them."

"This is exactly the wrong time to conclude that we have lost the war in Iraq, or that our new strategy has failed. Instead, we should provide General Petraeus and his troops with the time and the resources to succeed. We should not surrender in the face of barbarism."

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President Bush did not directly address Reid's comments, but White House spokeswoman Dana Perino quickly fired back that they were at odds with US military assessments of the two-month-old effort to quell sectarian violence in Iraq.

And "if this is his true feeling, then it makes one wonder if he has the courage of his convictions and therefore will decide to defund the war," the spokeswoman said as the president pleaded for time for his plan to work.