SESSIONS GET SLOTS NERVOUS

Slots Bennett, a notorious war whore, mentioned yesterday that Sen. Jeff Session's remarks about Iraq made him a little uneasy. Here's what Sessions had to say last weekend¹:


GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS (ABC NEWS)(Off-camera) Let me ask you about Iraq. You heard Senator Kennedy say that he believes that come the fall they will - more Republicans are going to join him and the Democrats in calling for a time line for withdrawal. You suggested something similar just a couple of weeks ago. Is your support for the - support for the effort in Iraq going to be conditioned in September? Will you support a timetable for withdrawal?

SENATOR JEFF SESSIONS (REPUBLICAN) I'm going to be very interesting what General Petraeus says. I think he's an expert in counterinsurgencies. He's an expert in Iraq now. This is his third tour there. He's a brilliant general. So we're going to be listening with great interest. I consider the surge to be that, a surge.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS (ABC NEWS)(Off-camera) Has it succeeded?

SENATOR JEFF SESSIONS (REPUBLICAN) I think we may well - I think it's too early to tell, but we have definitely - we are moving aggressively in areas that have not been moved in before. We're taking casualties as a result, but making progress. And in the end we're going to have to ask ourselves, what do we do and how do we reduce our presence in Iraq? We do not need to be an occupying power. We just can't do that.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS (ABC NEWS)(Off-camera) How quickly do we have to reduce our presence?

SENATOR JEFF SESSIONS (REPUBLICAN) Well, I think that's not - that's why I would oppose a form - a politically determined timetable. It's sort of subtle. The sooner we can reduce our numbers, the better, in my view. The sooner the better. But if staying a little longer, delaying that movement could help make a decisive difference in success or failure, then I think we have to adjust.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS (ABC NEWS)(Off-camera) So if General Petraeus comes back in September and says I need another 150,000 troops into 2008, you support that?

SENATOR JEFF SESSIONS (REPUBLICAN) Not another one. We're not going to have another 150,000.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS (ABC NEWS)(Off-camera) No, no, the current 150,000.

SENATOR JEFF SESSIONS (REPUBLICAN) You mean maintain this level?

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS (ABC NEWS)(Off-camera) Maintain it.

SENATOR JEFF SESSIONS (REPUBLICAN) Into September for another four years?

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS (ABC NEWS)(Off-camera) Into 2008.

SENATOR JEFF SESSIONS (REPUBLICAN) I think he'll have to justify that. I think most people expect that the surge will begin to be drawn down.

¹ABC News Transcript
SHOW: THIS WEEK 10:16 AM EST
June 24, 2007 Sunday
LENGTH: 1827 words
HEADLINE: SUNDAY EXCLUSIVE;
SENATOR JEFF SESSIONS
ANCHORS: GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS
REPORTERS: GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS (WASHINGTON, DC USA)