Petraeus: September Report On Escalation Will Not Say ‘Anything Definitive’
Petraeus: September Report On Escalation Will Not Say ‘Anything Definitive’
Offering another sign that the administration plans to continue its escalation of the war in Iraq into 2008, U.S. commander Gen. David Petraeus now says that he will not have “anything definitive” to say about the war in his September review.
On April 26, Petraeus told reporters that “in early September” he “would provide an assessment of the situation in Iraq with respect to our mission and offer recommendations on the way ahead.” But in an interview with CNN reporter Jane Arraf for IraqSlogger, Petraeus says, “Come September, I don’t think we’ll have anything definitive in September (although) certainly we’ll have some indicators on the political side in Iraq.”
Other recent signs that Bush is planning a long-term escalation:
– Last week, the Pentagon “notified more than 35,000 soldiers and Marines to be prepared to deploy to Iraq beginning this fall, a move that would allow commanders to maintain the ongoing buildup of troops through the end of the year if needed.” [Link]
– The New York Times reported in late April, “The timelines [that Bush officials] are now discussing suggest that the White House may maintain the increased numbers of American troops in Iraq well into next year.” [Link]
– In early March, the Times reported that Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the day-to-day commander of American forces in Iraq, had recommended in a private memo that Bush’s increased troop levels “be maintained through February 2008.” Odierno also said in January that “even with the additional American troops,” it might take another ‘two or three years’ for American and Iraqi forces to gain the upper hand in the war.” [Link; Link]
In recent weeks, senior conservatives have said that President Bush had until September “to prove that the Iraq war effort has turned a corner.” Petraeus’ announcement throws a major wrench in that plan.
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and this is surprising?
Bush had no plans to use the ’surge’ as anything other than an excuse to ramp up our military presence in Iraq.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:12 amGeneral Betrayus is part of the Chimpy conspiracy to keep the Iraq occupation going at all costs.
Chimpy has no intention of leaving Iraq. Ever. He’s said so.
Betrayus is working for Chimpy, not the American people.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:13 amWhat???!!! Already, mid May, he knows he won’t have any substantive to say?
Stay the curse (and I did not misspell or mistype)?
May 17th, 2007 at 11:15 amIt will be interesting to watch the members of congress who seem to have bought the September “turning point” idea. My guess is they’ll say in September that “the next 6 months will be the most telling”…thereby keeping this nonsense alive forever. I cant wait for the 2008 election. I wonder if there will be a 435-0 Democratic super majority in the House? I can always dream, can’t I?
May 17th, 2007 at 11:18 amOff topic, I guess: in recent photos of Cheney, he seems unable to stand up straight.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:19 amSo what do you think the 11 Republicans who recently met with the President to discuss the Iraq War are now thinking?
May 17th, 2007 at 11:21 amHey all they want is little more time for the troops to do the job. That is what makes it an endless war.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:23 am“it might take another ‘two or three years’ for American and Iraqi forces to gain the upper hand in the war.â€
There it is. The real assessment. The occupation of Iraq continues until Chimpy leaves office. Or after, if a Repuke or Hillary gets in.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:23 am#6 – Dogjudge,
May 17th, 2007 at 11:24 amIn two words – “We’re screwed!”
Why does anybody pay any attention to this Bush stooge General?
May 17th, 2007 at 11:24 amOff Topic but Important: Here is the summer plan in the USA
WASHINGTON — Record gasoline prices have exposed the shortcomings of the aging U.S. refining system, but there are no quick fixes, a panel of energy experts told lawmakers Tuesday.
That suggests gas prices will be vulnerable to refinery outages through the summer. And one expert said gas shortages are possible.
Now allow me to translate this for you:
They are going to pin this on the aging U.S. refining system but the truth is that there is not enough light sweet crude oil that is needed to make gasoline in the system.
“No quick fixes” means that less and less light sweet crude will be available over time and there is nothing that can be done about it.
Rationing will lead to the appearance of material shortages so they will stick with demand destruction by raising prices till there are in fact material shortages (gasoline) arrive this summer.
Read it for yourself!
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2007-05-15-gas-hearing-usat_N.htm
The party is OVER
May 17th, 2007 at 11:26 amImpeachment is the only answer.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:28 amIn early March, the Times reported that Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the day-to-day commander of American forces in Iraq, had recommended in a private memo that Bush’s increased troop levels “be maintained through February 2008.†Odierno also said in January that “even with the additional American troops,†it might take another ‘two or three years’ for American and Iraqi forces to gain the upper hand in the war.â€
So is he saying that we don’t have the upper hand now? Can you imagine Rush or Hannity’s response if Harry Reid said the same thing?
May 17th, 2007 at 11:28 amOff topic, I guess: in recent photos of Cheney, he seems unable to stand up straight.
Comment by penalcolony — May 17, 2007 @ 11:19 am
Penalcolony – If you had the weight on your shoulders of as many lies as Deadeye Dick has on his, you’d be a tad hunched over all the time also!
May 17th, 2007 at 11:28 amIt was stay the course all the time. The supposed surge only made up for the coalition of the willing turning into the coalition of the unwilling and their leaving. The US has no intension of leaving until the oil wells run dry. This will be like Israel-Palestine, going on for many decades.
All that the Repugs and Dems are doing is trying to politically capitalize on it, in some manner. While really doing nothing. All talk no action.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:30 amLook, what the hell is the mystery here? US troops will be in Iraq in at least these numbers and at least until January 20, 2009. Unless the Democrats get serious and choke off the funding.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:31 amIf you think support for the illegal occupation of Iraq is bad now, wait until November 2008.
This war will not get better by then. If anything it will be worse.
Betrayus is not going to turn this around. It is impossible now.
Democrats are going to win big in 2008 and Chimpy will hand it to them.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:32 amLook at the pic above: Who would want Darth Dicky Cheney to touch them? I would have to burn my clothing and take a bath in clorox to remove the stench of Cheney.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:35 amThe party is OVER — Comment by Saywho
I guess I missed the point when the party started. :(
May 17th, 2007 at 11:35 amMore Fu(king stalling tactics, PULL THE PLUG!
May 17th, 2007 at 11:37 amstalling, stalling, stalling, running out the clock…while more people die
heckuva job, America, heckuva job
May 17th, 2007 at 11:37 am-rusty knees, bood clots in the legs, giant flak jacket, and ‘The Satanic Bible’ tucked under his arm, ahhh
May 17th, 2007 at 11:37 amOff topic, I guess: in recent photos of Cheney, he seems unable to stand up straight.
Comment by penalcolony — May 17, 2007 @ 11:19 am
It’s Jacob Marley’s chain he is dragging around. He will carry it with him through the afterlife.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:40 amBush needs to run three more Friedmans off the clock before turning it over to his successor, but the GOP doesn’t have three Friedmans to save the party from destruction.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:41 amGood Morning Ben Dover and all,..I am sick to death of this war and illegal administration..Nothing is going to get done untill we hold Palosi and Reid accountable for taking Impeachment off the table….We must demand the war be stoped and cheney/ bush/ gonzo and all impeached immedietly…I’m mad as hell and going to bury them in email’s…..If they do not do what we voted them in to do hundred’s of thousand’s of dem’s are going to consider them enabeler’s and form a new party or drop off the voter roll’s….The only way to win this fight and rid our country of the cancer is to have a special councel and impeach for wire tapping and war crimes..It must be done now…Blessings all
May 17th, 2007 at 11:42 amI hope Cheney’s bib is large enough to absorb all of his drool.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:44 amBreaking News : Darth Cheney shot by Elmer Fudd! Details are developing…
May 17th, 2007 at 11:47 amSo what will the “new” republican talking points be after September? I mean, right now it’s “give the surge a chance”, but they can only hold onto that for so long.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:47 amAttesting to the genuine staying power of the Friedman Unit
May 17th, 2007 at 11:48 amOT, sorry, but from CNN this morning:
Officers faulted in mission that left 3 U.S. troops dead
Three U.S. soldiers slaughtered in a grisly kidnapping-murder plot south of Baghdad, Iraq, last June were not properly protected during a mission that was poorly planned or executed, a military investigation has concluded.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:49 am“Off topic, I guess: in recent photos of Cheney, he seems unable to stand up straight”
another republican on his way to hell. It can’t happen too soon.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:52 amHow about : let ’s give “Let’s Get The Hell Outta Iraq” a chance!
May 17th, 2007 at 11:53 amThe “new” Repug talking points will circle around the War Czar, Lute hasn’t had time to be effective, give him 6 more months.
The rolling 6 months. Until Boy George can put his burden down. And blame the continuing fiasco on the new Democratic President.
Party and ego before honorable action. The motto of the Repugnicunts.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:56 amDICK cheney looks like Ariel Sharon in that photo.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:57 amHow’s Sharon doing anyway?
So what will the “new†republican talking points be after September? I mean, right now it’s “give the surge a chanceâ€, but they can only hold onto that for so long.
Comment by Chris L — May 17, 2007 @ 11:47 am
They have already said that the surge won’t be in place until late summer. Only three of the five brigades have arrived yet. So at the beginning of September they will say that the surge has just been put into place, and that we need to give it time to work. In effect they will ask for another Friedman, which will bring us to Spring, 2008, when primary season is heating up. Republican internal pollsters will finally recognize that the party is headed for staggering losses and permanent minority status, but by then it will be too late for the party to save itself.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:58 amI guess I missed the point when the party started. :(
Comment by Oversight is a Bitch. — May 17, 2007 @ 11:35 am
I could say “Ghawar is dyeing” but then no one would know what I’m talking about!
This time when the shortages come there will be no OPEC to turn to. Jimmy Carter saw our future and was not reelected because he was honest. The citizens and Ronald Regan wanted to remain in the DENIAL RIVER OF OIL and now the entire globe has crossed the point of no return.
Life in the USA is about to get “medieval”. We are all the deer staring at the headlights of FATE bearing down on us at 110MPH. Alternative alchemy has little hope of meting even minimal energy demands. Picture it like this if you will; Hoover Dam is a modern marvel. It generates quite a bit of electricity with its water driven turbines. Eventually, the turbines will need to be replaced. The output from the dam is not great enough to power the processes needed to mine, smelt, mold, machine, transport and install the replacement turbines. Most of those processes consume OIL/COAL/NG/WOOD and so only work when they have a POSITIVE EROEI.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:00 pmGhawar is dyeing!
OxyCon > Sharon is a vegetable and his body is rotting away on life support machines. His brain is completely dead, but his sons refuse to pull the plug on him. They are afraid that once he is buried, then they themselves might go to prison for their own corruption.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:05 pmI hear Iraq will soon start pumping new oil. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/6c05b998-0310-11dc-a023-000b5df10621.html
May 17th, 2007 at 12:10 pmSo now the September report won’t say anything definitive?
I guess the White House started getting nervous when all the Republican congresscritters began claiming that September would be it. They realized that they better put the kaibosh on those expectations in a hurry. “Oh shit — they actualy took us seriously! We better fix that.”
May 17th, 2007 at 12:11 pmWhy does the press call this a kidnapping-murder case?
Once again, the MSM shows its pro-Chimpy pro-war bias.
Three soldiers were killed in battle by Iraqi freedom fighters.
Not murdered.
The other soldiers were captured in battle, not kidnapped.
Funny how Repukes call this a war but they refuse to acknowlege the other side of the conflict.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:11 pmOff topic, I guess: in recent photos of Cheney, he seems unable to stand up straight.
Comment by penalcolony
It also appears that Cheney has put on a tremendous amount of weight. Definitely not good for the blood clot situation.
Wonder what’s going on?
May 17th, 2007 at 12:14 pmThanks for the info, Saywho.
BTW, I did know what Ghawar is. Its the big Saudi oil field.
We have probably passed the peak in Peak Oil. Over half the oil is gone.
And the rest of the oil is getting increasingly scarce and harder to extract and refine.
I am still optimistic that somehow we can survive this coming mess.
We need to turn capitalism into a self-sustaining economic system or we are through. Right now we are burning through resources at a 120% rate. We cannot continue for long at that rate.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:14 pmWrite your congressperson and ask how they intend to STOP this madness…
May 17th, 2007 at 12:14 pmCheney is turning into a gigantic blob.
Soon he will be big enough to devour the entire White House.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:15 pmTom3
May 17th, 2007 at 12:16 pmHe did that around March 2001.
Not long ago, Bush indicated he might be open to considering “benchmarks” for the Iraqi government. That sounds like his kind of solution. The way I’d expect it to work is, if the Iraqis meet the benchmarks, we reward them by staying longer. If they fail, we punish them by not leaving.
It’s too bad Petraeus won’t be able to tell Bush definitively whether we should stay, or not leave.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:22 pmWe need to turn capitalism into a self-sustaining economic system or we are through. Right now we are burning through resources at a 120% rate. We cannot continue for long at that rate. Comment by Tom3
Fyunch(click)
May 17th, 2007 at 12:24 pmThe same thing they thought two weeks ago, two months ago and two years ago. That meeting was nothing more than a political stunt to make it appear that they were against Bush. All 11 turned around the next day and voted to continue the war.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:27 pmWe need to impeach.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:40 pmTom3, di you say “iraqi freedom fighters”??? For real???
May 17th, 2007 at 12:40 pmTom3, di you say “iraqi freedom fighters�?? For real???
Comment by Craig mack — May 17, 2007 @ 12:40 pm
Is it conceivable at all to you that as far as THEY are concerned (the fighters) that they are fighting for their freedom?
Is it conceivable at all to you that they don’t feel “liberated” or “free”?
May 17th, 2007 at 12:44 pmUnless you (Craig Mack) are just surprised that someone would be so bold as to tell it like it is?
May 17th, 2007 at 12:45 pmIs it conceivable at all to you that they don’t feel “liberated†or “free�
Comment by margaret
Craig´s view of the world is such that only US can liberate and give freedom to other people. “Brownies” cant fight for their freedom…they are expected to wait for it until the US decides when (if they have oil it will be sooner)
May 17th, 2007 at 12:57 pmJuan, do we know one another? Anything else bout my view you wanna enlighten me about??
May 17th, 2007 at 1:08 pmMargaret, if that’s how you see it, then fair enough. I do have a different view. (Juan already “chanelled my thoughts, so you should know that)
A large of these people fighting over there aren’t even iraqi, but are from other countries. I would consider them to be mercs or jihadist, rather than freedom fighters.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:12 pmWhat would you call the Iraqi police officers and soldiers, traitors?
Robert Pearson, US ambassador to Turkey, told a Turkish audience,
two days before the invasion of Iraq in 2003,
that the US would be in Iraq for 2-25- YEARS.
Americans are SUCKERS for LIARS like TRAITORS Bush and Ronnie..
May 17th, 2007 at 1:13 pmAnd yes, Margeret, it is concievable that they consider themsleves as such, just so you know. Although you may want to paint me as narrow minded and a caveman, it’s not quite that easy…
May 17th, 2007 at 1:14 pmActually Craig, according to the Pentagon the percentage of foreign born insurgents is between 5 and 8 %, that’s hardly a “large” amount of the combatants. If we’re talking about “mercs” let’s discuss the PMFs we are employing. They are the second largest force in bush’s coalition of the willing.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:56 pmHey Mackie~!
according to a new report from the Washington-based Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS). According to a piece in The Guardian, this means the US and Iraq ” feed the myth” that foreign fighters are the backbone of the insurgency. While the foreign fighters may stoke the insurgency flames, they make up only about 4 to 10 percent of the estimated 30,000 insurgents.
Facts please, to refute this.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:58 pmthat the US would be in Iraq for 25 YEARS
Americans are SUCKERS for LIARS like TRAITORS Bush and Ronnie..
May 17th, 2007 at 2:08 pmCan’t refute #’s, man. I will say that most of the people fighting are the folks who have been recruited by the Jihadist from abroad. (I don’t have a link, this is from my personal experience being over there) The jihadist networks are well organized, and have “heavy hitters” they bring in. That is to say, they have charasmatic recruiters that prey on the young people. Once they have built the base, or the “next wave”, they move on back to their caves until they are needed again.
May 17th, 2007 at 2:08 pmAnd Bob, you aren’t gonna find me defending the contractors over there, most of them are worthless f*cks.
I’m telling ya folks, if you are looking for someone to spit out stupidity like Valiant, I’m not the one. I simply disagreed with hte “freedom fighter” moniker.
Petraeus won’t say anything definitive. Here’s his report: Things might be better and then again they might be worse. Our surge is working or then again maybe it’s not. What a useless piece of baggage he is. He’s playing to Bush’s tune. They want to run out the clock so that we leave on a Democrat’s watch and not his. Bush has this strange delusion that if the Democrats are charged with ending the Iraq war, he will not be blamed for it, the Democrats will be. Sorry Bush, the people are on to you and they have been for quite some time. They are not going to forget how we got into this mess in the first place. History is not going to forget either.
Hurry up November, 2008. It’s time for a regime change in this country.
May 17th, 2007 at 3:20 pmAfter one month, he already knows he won’t have anything substantive in September. He didn’t even wait a decent interval.
What were most of us here saying at the time — don’t believe them; nothing can change in a few months – this is just a cheap way of kicking the can down the road, until the next time they need more money or troops.
Petraeus is just a yes-man, and I don’t know what options he has against his c-in-chief, but this was totally predictable.
May 17th, 2007 at 3:20 pm“A large of these people fighting over there aren’t even iraqi, but are from other countries. I would consider them to be mercs or jihadist, rather than freedom fighters.”
Actually you are very wrong here. A small number of the people fighting in Iraq are foreigners (or so-called al Queada). Last I heard they think that maybe 5% are foreigners. The remainder are people who live in an occupied country who are fighting the people who are occupying (like we did if we were being occupied by a foreign government) or they are fighting each other because of their religions differences. The vast majority of the people fighting in Iraq are Iraqi’s. If you think this is not true, please link to some reputable website that says otherwise.
May 17th, 2007 at 3:29 pmKatie, not to argue, but see #61… I can’t rufute #’s, just gave my opinion..
May 17th, 2007 at 3:43 pmWe will never have the upper hand in any country in the middle east.
People who know history understand this.
The rest should stop fooling yourselves in believing otherwise.
He will keep us there for his entire term keeping the region unstable in order for his oil allies to keep up with the record profits that he will reep once out of office.
President G W Bush is a disgusting excuse for a human being and the absolute worst President this country has ever known.
May 17th, 2007 at 10:06 pm