is it harder to deny that General Petraeus is making progress.?

Question

It’s getting harder to deny that General Petraeus is making progress.


“The only thing this surge will accomplish is a surge of more death and destruction.” That was the prediction of blogger and antiwar activist Arianna Huffington back in December of last year — one month before the Senate unanimously confirmed Gen. David Petraeus as commander in Iraq.

"I believe ... that this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything.” That was the judgment of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in April — two months before the reinforcements General Petraeus needed to fully implement his new “surge” strategy had arrived in Iraq.

In mid-June, just as troop strength was reaching the level needed to carry out the revised mission, Senator Reid added: “As many had foreseen, the escalation has failed to produce the intended results."

But now those intended results are being seen — as even some critics of the war, to their credit, are acknowledging. “More American troops have brought more peace to more parts of Iraq. I think that’s a fact,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill) told reporters.

“My sense is that the tactical momentum is there with the troops,” Sen. Jack Reed (D., R.I.) said to PBS’s Charlie Rose.

The debate over the war in Iraq is shifting, though more slowly than is the war in Iraq, thanks to a well-funded and determined anti-war movement and too many in the media for whom good news is no news.

A few days ago, CNN’s Kyra Phillips interviewed Lt. General Raymond Odierno, General Petraeus’s top deputy. She might have asked whether his troops now have both the will and a way to defeat al Qaeda suicide-bombers and Iranian-backed death squads. Instead, her inquiring mind wanted to know: “Do you think that this job that you've taken on could be career suicide?”

Because of scant media interest, most Americans don’t even realize that the so-called surge is a new and different strategy, implemented by General Petraeus because the approach of his predecessors — not least former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfield — failed.

Rumsfeld wanted a “light footprint” in Iraq, not an intrusive military occupation. He thought more troops would mean more targets for our enemies. He pushed hard for Iraqis to provide their own security as quickly as possible.

Under the Rumsfeld strategy, most American forces spent most of their time in Forward Operating Bases (FOBs). Cut off from the local population, they received little intelligence. And since they were providing security for themselves but not for Iraqis, Iraqis turned to sectarian militias which grew larger, stronger, and more violent.

Meanwhile, al Qaeda in Iraq deployed suicide-bombers to mass-murder civilians as a way to stoke sectarian violence. Al Qaeda calculated — not unreasonably — that Americans would withdraw rather than remain in the crossfire of a civil war.

General Petraeus, the Army’s top counterinsurgency expert, decided it was time for a different approach. He moved troops out of the FOBs and put them into Iraqi cities and villages where they have been providing security for Iraqis — who have shown their appreciation by providing intelligence that spy satellites can’t retrieve.

He is targeting al Qaeda, as well as the Shia militias trained, funded and equipped by Tehran — their cells, strongholds, and bomb factories. And with added troop strength, he has been able to hold the neighborhoods he has cleared.

It also is true that most traditional Iraqi leaders have been repelled by al Qaeda’s brutality and extremism. Americans, by contrast, have shown the local sheiks respect, while training and partnering with Iraqis — making it clear they would like nothing better than to see Iraqis take charge of their own security as soon as they are ready.

On top of all that, U.S. soldiers have been doubling as diplomats: helping to reconcile Sunni and Shia tribal groups, and even bringing insurgents — those not affiliated with al Qaeda or Tehran — into line with the Iraqi government.

This week, General Odierno launched “Operation Phantom Strike,” a new offensive that aims to pursue the al Qaeda terrorists and Iranian-backed militias displaced from their safe havens by this summer’s earlier actions: Operation Phantom Thunder, and Operation Fard al-Qanoon (the Baghdad Security Plan).

Operation Phantom Strike, if it is successful, will mean more “death and destruction” — mostly for America’s sworn enemies. No doubt, the anti-war crowd will both oppose that and pronounce it a failure even before it’s fully underway. But other Americans — if they learn what is really happening in Iraq — will support the troops. Most will favor giving them the time and resources they need to complete their mission.

Answer 1

It is harder and harder to deny the surge is working...though many will deny it simply because their party does not benefit from it's success. The ones who admit it will then revert to "But we shouldn't be there anyway cuz it's an illegal war"...

Answer 2

The only thing to do is break Iraq into 3
Where are you going to get the men to fight this war?
now the Pentagon is saying 18 months tours with 10 months home. Check, the best are getting out, 6 to 8 years experience,
they don't want a 5th or 6th tour
It is tearing these families apart.( do your research)
I did like what the war czar said we should have a draft
it would spread the burden
To those who are for this war.
Are you of military age or do you have any sons that are ,then I say put your money where your mouth is or shut up

Answer 3

What is the plan for getting their government together? Are we going to intervene? I think a certain amount of skepticism is in order while our troops are fighting hard, their government members take a month off.

I think both parties are speaking less about the situation in Iraq at this time while waiting for the report in September. Do you think, in view of the failures of the first 4 years in Iraq, that people were really out of line in protesting the handling of the war? Do you give the democrats any credit for being the catalyst in changing the strategy in Iraq and getting rid of Rumsfeld? We really need to put things in the proper time frame when judging people on their opinions of the Iraq situation.

Answer 4

The only problem with your definitely correct logic is the Democrats have already made up their mind to end this war no matter if victory was one day away. They will deny anything General Petraeus says and their willing partners the mainstream media and the far left bloggers will be able to further cause the Americans who only get their news from the long ago confirmed left wingers in the mass media to believe we have done nothing good in Iraq.

Answer 5

Pelosi, Reid & co. have determined already that any victory in Iraq, is a defeat for the Democtrats...so of course, they will not acknowledge any success at all. But watch, here come the liberals "code pink" crowd with the illegal war mantra, and the false numbers of the dead in Iraq.

Answer 6

What FOX """"NEWS"""" dream world do yo live in?
Iraq has turned into a Catastrophe. Five Million Iraqis have fled US Occupation including the entire Christian Population.
The trick with the "Surge " is going to be that there are no longer enough troops to replace the ones there.

Answer 7

what is progress?

making sure that we stay involved in an illegal war, a civil war, and continue to facilitate genocide? PERPETUAL WAR?

Lets assume that progress is being made? what does the most recent nearly 200 dead from sucide attacks in one day tell you? is that progress?

I know, when something bad happens in iraq its proof we need to stay the course, and the worst things get the more we need to stay the course, right? and if there is a month lull cause the weather is really hot and each summer there has been a lull in violence, then hey its proof progress is being made and that we should stay the course too---that is until things get bad again and they violence escalates again and the streets are full of innocent iraqi blood--then it will mean we need to stay the course cause the terrorists are desperate....
You and those like you are too stupid to even understand the vicious circular argument that you are advocating....lol

Answer 8

Death and destruction means you are winning the war. The more of it we have, the better we are doing.

Answer 9

Ever wonder what do we think he's doing out there.
Having a picnic and sunbathing?

Answer 10

Dems approved Petraeus.

They will deride him shortly.