News flash: "Democrats undermine U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus' credibility before he delivers a report..?"

Question

"a report on the Iraq war"?

WHY?

http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070906/NATION/109060064/1001

****Why wait tell the eve of his report? Why not do it when he took command?

Please answer this question and label it edit on your responce.

Answer 1

This isn't so much news as a foregone conclusion. Politicians always try to pre-empt thier rivals when they have something to say that might advance thier agenda.

Patreaus /might/ have something good to say, the Dems are moving to minimize any damage that might do thier agenda.

Answer 2

Not only what everyone said above, but there is a seasonality to violence. If you compare with last years numbers for the same time period, there is no reduction but an increase in violence.

But where in the hell is the press? Why doesn't the press look at these numbers and figure out who is lying? It can't be that hard. Oh yeah, now I remember, they are just roll over and play dead when it came to Iraq WMD, and everyother lie that came out of the Bush Administrations' mouth.

What a ridiculous headline 'Democrats undermine'. How about, 'Petraeus is a liar', or 'Petraeus not telling the truth'. George Bush could steal candy from a 7-11, and the press would say 'Democrats claim Bush stole candy from a 7-11', undermining candy policy'.

Answer 3

Petraueus' credibility has been suspect ever since he wrote an Op Ed piece suupporting Bush in in the New York Times before the 2004 election. It's pretty obvious that the main reason Petraeus got the job in the first place because he is a Bush supporter and loyalist who will "toe the party line" when it comes to Iraq. His report will be full of Bush "spin".

Answer 4

Telling the facts like they are is what politicians are payed for in a free country..Gen. Petraeus credibility is undermined because he's too close to the white house and they simply can't be trusted.
Like they cooked the intelligence to fit policy choices they already made they are not manipulating this report.
Gen. David Petraeus has claimed that there has been a 75 percent reduction in sectarian violence. In testimony today before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, GAO Comptroller General David Walker said those statistics cannot be independently verified.

The GAO’s statistics, which extend through the end of July, demonstrate that the number of daily attacks against Iraqis remains unchanged. Walker said the Pentagon has refused to provide him with the latest statistics. “We asked for but did not receive the information through the end of August.” he said. “They haven’t given us the data.”

Answer 5

It probably has a lot to do with the Whitehouse writing the report and having him deliver it. There is no way for Bush to give himself a failing grade. Here's a preview of the reports key points:

1. The surge is working
2. Need more time to complete the mission
3. Iraq is safer in spite of the recent violence

Answer 6

What newsflash, they've been doing it for a month now. Some, like Sen. Schumer, can't afford for ANY good news to come from Iraq, they've invested too much time and political capital in trying to make Bush look bad by making Iraq look worse than it really is. BTW, why are Pelosi, Reid, and Durbin calling it "The Bush Report"? Because Bush will present it to Congress? The resolution they passed REQUIRES the President to present the report to Congress.

EDIT:
If Patraeus' credibility was so "suspect" in 2004, why then did the Democrat unanimously approve his appointment as the Iraq commander?

Answer 7

could it be because of this

Jones' panel recommended scrapping Baghdad's national police force and starting over.

The U.S. has spent $19.2 billion developing Iraq's forces and plans to spend another $5.5 billion next year. According to Jones' study, the Iraqi military comprises more than 152,000 service members operating under the Ministry of Defense, while the Ministry of Interior oversees some 194,000 civilian security personnel, including police and border control.

The review is one of several studies Congress commissioned in May, when it agreed to fund the war for several more months but demanded that the Bush administration and outside groups assess U.S. progress in the war.

Answer 8

I think most democrats myself included lost a lot of trust in the "Patraeus" report, becaus it is coming from the Whitehouse rather than Patraeus himself. Violence in Iraq is actually about the same as it was at this time last year, but i guarentee they will cherry pick the data that makes them look better. I trust the GAO report which says 11 of the 18 benchmarks are failures. The problems aren't just in security, but the government of Iraq is in shambles. There aren't military solutions for many of the major problems with Iraq. If the government was making solid progress I could see staying, but they simply aren't.

Answer 9

because we're expecting the same SONG AND DANCE WE'VE HEARD FOR OVER 4 YEARS NOW...

"our plan is working, we just need a little more time"...

what is "a little more time" to you guys anyway... are you working on like a geological type time? Like the Iraq war has only being going on a very short time relative to the age of the Earth... or something?

EDIT: if your asking as to "why now"? which you didn't bother to make clear in your question... that answer would be clear, because it's coming up and it's the same song and dance...

Answer 10

There is no liberals or conservatives, neither do we have 2 parties in the USA. It is about the gov't vs the people, or better yet...........it is about the rich vs. the poor and all the elected officials are on the payroll of the Bilderberg Group