WASHINGTON – As the Senate Armed Services Committee begins confirmation hearings for General David Petraeus, Californians are reminded of U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer’s (D-CA) partisan attacks against this esteemed military leader.

In 2007, Boxer accused Petraeus of painting a “rosy scenario” of the Iraq war and told him to “consider that others could be right.” Boxer also joined 24 of her Democrat colleagues and voted against a provision to condemn a New York Times advertisement that was paid for by MoveOn.org attacking Petraeus as “General Betray Us.”

Yet today, Boxer and her Democrat colleagues have changed their tune and are lining up behind General Petraeus’ nomination by President Barack Obama to oversee the nation’s military operations in Afghanistan. As US News & World Report noted, “Petraeus is now the darling of the Democrats. Having been picked by President Barack Obama to lead U.S. efforts on the ground in Afghanistan, Petraeus, the architect of the surge in Iraq, is being praised by the Democrats from pillar to post.”

“Barbara Boxer owes General Petraeus and the American people an apology for her politically-motivated attacks against his credibility and brave service to our nation,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokeswoman Amber Marchand. “Barbara Boxer has a continued record of attacking and belittling our country’s esteemed military leaders, and there’s no doubt the people of California will hold her accountable for this vicious partisan rhetoric when they elect Carly Fiorina in November.”

Background Information:

Twenty-Five Senate Democrats Voted Against Condemning MoveOn.Org Ad Attacking Gen. Petraeus As “Gen. Betray Us.” (S.Amdt. 2934, Roll Call Vote #344: Passed 72-25: R: 49-0, D: 23-25, 9/20/07)

Sen. Boxer Accused Petraeus Of Painting A “Rosy Scenario” Of The Iraq War And Told Him To “Consider That Others Could Be Right.”  “We are sending our troops where they’re not wanted, with no end in sight, into the middle of a civil war, into the middle of the mother of all mistakes.  Please, General, don’t do what you did in 2004 when you painted a rosy scenario.  Consider that others could be right.” (Sen. Barbara Boxer, “Boxer Asks General Petraeus To Take Off Rose-Colored Glasses And Face Realities In Iraq,” Press Release, 9/11/07)