Gen. Petraeus says in a new interview that while much has been accomplished in the Iraqi political arena, there hasn’t been as enough progress as they want:
Iraqi leaders have failed to take advantage of a reduction in violence to make adequate progress toward resolving their political differences, Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said Thursday.
The Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has won passage of some legislation that aids the cause of reconciliation, drawing praise from President Bush and his supporters. But the Iraqi government also has deferred action on some of its most important legislative goals, including laws governing the exploitation of Iraq’s oil resources, that the Bush administration had identified as necessary benchmarks of progress toward reconciliation.
Many Iraqi parliament members and other officials acknowledge that the country’s political system is often paralyzed by sectarian divisions, but they also say that American expectations are driven by considerations in Washington and do not reflect the complexity of Iraq’s problems.
In what appeared to be a foreshadowing of his congressional testimony, which his aides said he would not discuss explicitly, Petraeus insisted that Iraqi leaders still have an opportunity to act. “We’re going to fight like the dickens” to maintain the gains in security and “where we can to try and build on it,” he said.
Make no bones about it, this is a warning shot over the bow of the Iraqi parliament. While its very true that the country’s expectations are based on Washington politics they also have to understand that in 2009 they may very well face a whole new kind of United States. A President Obama or Clinton who very well could pull all of the troops out of that country.
Of course a year or so later we would have to go back in to push the new al-Qaeda run government out but thats a whole nother post for a later date.
What Petraeus is telling them is that a lot has been accomplished. Don’t let this opportunity pass your country by. McQ at QandO believes we are fast approaching the time when some real troop movements back to the US can happen:
Based on my conversations with the generals and colonels in Iraq I’ve had the opportunity to participate in, I’m fast coming to the conclusion that on the security front, we’re approaching the time when we can begin turning more and more of the total security function over to the Iraqis and begin withdrawing troops in earnest.
I would think we could be down to 10 combat brigades by the end of 2009 (which is indefinitely sustainable although I would think we could further reduce that number as the situation continues to improve). Doing so would begin to give the military the time it needs to train, rest and refit.
And as Petraeus noted, there has been some real political progress made in Iraq, just not enough, quickly enough. While it may be unfair to expect it to be fixed on a Washington timetable there is no way to get around the fact that there is a major election coming up and things may change dramatically.
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When Democratic politicans pointed this out, Conservatives said we “hated America”.
If I were the Iraqi leaders, I would not worry one bit about this “warning”. President Bush will never take one single step that puts even the slightest real pressure on the Iraqi leaders to actually do anything. These comments are all for the US Media.
And, should Senator John McCain be elected president, the Iraqi can then count on an additional four years of zero real pressure to deliver.
“……..Conservatives said we “hated America”.”
You do, just ask your messiah’s pastor.
Except Petraeus never used the word the failed. Fox just did a story on this and they have the transcript of the interview. The Washington Post used the word failed and attributed it to Gen Petraeus.
Rea: “You do, just ask your messiah’s pastor.”
Rev Hagee?
Hagee said “God damn America?”
Nope.
Is McCain a member of his church, nope.
Was McCain married by him, nope
Was McCain’s children christened by him, nope.
Answer is yes on all accounts for Obama and Wright tho.
McCain did actively seek his endorsement and stood on stage with him less than a month ago. But, of course, McCain gets the automatic Conservative Free Pass, again.
Steve,
There’s a world of difference between Hagee endorsing McCain, who’s met him….a total of how many times? Once? Twice? Thrice?
And Obama going to Wright for 20 years and called him his spiritual adviser and mentor. What I find most interesting is Obama’s attempts at damage control. I think all he’s doing is digging a deeper hole, and proving himself to be just another empty suit politician who says what he does, for political points, and not core beliefs.
But once again, Philadelphia Steve will give Obama the automatic liberal free pass. Again.
(Is the “free pass” refrain, like your gimmicky catch phrase, or something?)
Just a Grunt wrote:
Amy Proctor has a good post on that.
No. “free pass” is an accurate description of the exemptions that conservatives always give to Republicans whenthey violate the standards taht Conservatives apply to everyone else.
I am not going to make any excuses for Barak Obama’s past association with this man. If tghis pastor made those statements in Senator Obama’s presence, and he failed to say anthing at the time, them we should hold Barak accountable for that.
I just pointed out that Senator McCain only said that “he did not agree with everything” that a Bigoted Conservative pastor said, and that was absolutely sufficient for every Conservative here, without exception.
Add to that the fact that Senator McCain actively sought the endorsement of this bigot (Barak Obama sis not seek an endorsement), and again, not one Conservative thought there was anything wrong with that either.
But, back to the original purpose of this thread.
General Petraeus gave that “shot across the bow” to the Iraqi government.
Any day now this latests of the bi-annual “sternest of stern warnings” that the Bush Administrration sends out through one of its conduits or anothter is hailed as “this one will do it” and end the Iraqi civil war.
The only thing that is reducing the fighting, besides increased US military patrols, is the fact that five, out of thirty million Iraqi residencts have been displaced in the ethnic clensing that has gone on for every one of the past “we are turning the corner in riaq” five years. They are running out of locals in their neighborhoods to kill.
This latest of the “warnings” will have no more effect than any of the others. Because the Iraqi factions know that George W. Bush has given an unconditional, open checkbook, unlimited sacrifice guarantee that American troops will stay in Iraq to his last day in office. And, if John MCCain (otherwise known as Bush III) is elected, they can count on another guaranteed four years of no conditions, no limits, unlimited funding for their civil conflict.