Think Progress

Petraeus: WH won’t write my September report.

Recently, the media revealed — and the White House confirmed — that Gen. David Petraeus’s much-anticipated September report on Iraq will “actually be written by the White House.” But this week, Petraeus assured lawmakers that he won’t let the White House interfere with his analysis:

Gen. David Petraeus, who is scheduled to brief Congress in two weeks on the progress in Iraq, assured lawmakers this week that the administration is not involved in the writing of his report, according to a lawmaker who has recently returned from the region.

Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.), told reporters Thursday that Petraeus said he and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker had briefed the administration on the situation in Iraq, but added that “as far as [Petraeus] is concerned … he is writing his recommendations of that report and testimony.”



72 Responses to “Petraeus: WH won’t write my September report.”

  1. dogeatdogi says:

    Uh Hu, yeah right…


  2. Toliver says:

    Passersby,

    Did you know that public Law 110-28 specifes that “the President, having consulted with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Commander, Multi-National Forces-Iraq, the United States Ambassador to Iraq, and the Commander of U.S. Central Command, will prepare the report and submit the report to Congress.”

    Your dem congress requires the administration to prepare and submit the F’n report. You’d think the lawyers on the TP staff would know this by now.


  3. DenverOasis says:

    Bush and his white house don’t let ANYTHING out without rewriting parts that they don’t think reflects well on their failed policies. We’ve seen this countless times, and it’s not going to stop now. Th war on the truth shall continue…


  4. Lawrence E. Rafferty says:

    Why don’t I believe the good General? Even if he is writing the report, he already got his marching orders from George the Second when he briefed the White House. He sold out already when he agreed to head up the “surge” even though his Army Manual on Counter Insurgency stated that many more soldiers would be needed to really do the job of controlling the Iraqi population. It is time for Congress to de-fund the war and rescind the authorization to use military force.
    Larry Rafferty
    arguewithmydad.com


  5. Jay Randal says:

    Betrayus > cut the crap, because we all know you are a Bush stooge!


  6. Raven says:

    “as far as [Petraeus] is concerned … he is writing his recommendations of that report and testimony.”

    (Administration:)

    “And we’ll let the lil’ general go right on believing it’s all his own widdle pwoject, until he hands it in…
    and then it’s ours… ours, I tell you… OURS!!!!!”


  7. tarazan says:

    Petraeus: “They will not write my report in the W. House,but they will type it,and check for some ‘Surge’ errors..”!!


  8. blogenfreude says:

    Notice how Petraeus doesn’t talk while Cheney’s drinking water.


  9. Nully says:

    Ya, right… Snake Oil anyone?


  10. Pernell says:

    Why do people keep talking like Petraeus is someone to be believed in the first place? He has proven he has very, very poor judgement or he is a liar.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49283-2004Sep25.html

    Battling for Iraq

    By David H. Petraeus
    Sunday, September 26, 2004;
    Page B07

    BAGHDAD — Helping organize, train and equip nearly a quarter-million of Iraq’s security forces is a daunting task. Doing so in the middle of a tough insurgency increases the challenge enormously, making the mission akin to repairing an aircraft while in flight — and while being shot at. Now, however, 18 months after entering Iraq, I see tangible progress. Iraqi security elements are being rebuilt from the ground up.


  11. Fools on the Hill says:

    AEI or other right-wing think tank will write it.

    Petraeus authorized the issuing of millions of weapons in Iraq and couldn’t even find paper and a pencil to record where the weapons were going.

    He needs to resign.


  12. Toliver says:

    Keep on smearing the military, it is something you’ve loved to do since Vietnam. Perhaps some of you cats will spit on him when he shows up up in DC? Come on, you know you want to.



  13. Toliver says:

    There was progress under his command Pernell. He wasn’t lying.


  14. had enough says:

    Right…. but we ALL know nothing gets out to the public before being washed and cleaned to fool the masses…. this certainly could not be a first time event…. after all, isn’t Iran next?


  15. Pernell says:

    Toliver, you’re the ones who LOVE to send the troops into a meat grinder so your cult leader can get off on the killing and horror his plan free war has brought on…. Petraeus is an enabler.

    Why do you hate the grunts but love the ones who use them as fodder to satisfy their delusions?


  16. Charles says:

    Yeah. If he’s serious, I predict a friendly fire incident…


  17. Democrat Soldier says:

    Hey, Toliver!

    Since you’re such a patriot, when did you serve? Or are you currently in the military?


  18. Weaselwords says:

    “as far as [Petraeus] is concerned … he is writing his recommendations of that report and testimony.”

    I think “as far as [Petraeus] is concerned” is a major (dis)qualifier here.


  19. Pernell says:

    Keep on smearing the military, it is something you’ve loved to do since Vietnam.

    Trained talking point number 42. Geez, get a new act.


  20. Japaner says:

    Ill stick by Senator Harry Reid(D) who not only voted to approve Peteaus’s appointment but also said, “Listen to the generals”.

    The problem the left has is that they dont believe Pet will say what they want to hear, so the full court press is on before the first word is uttered. How embarrassed you libs will be if the general says things you DO agree with; we will all be here to make sure you stick by your words if that happens.

    Really now, does EVERYTHING have to be a conspiracy?


  21. tom says:

    Sounds like the good general hasn’t gotten (or read) the memo yet.

    The report is already written and in the can. Petraeus will be briefed on its contents next week. He will then have one week to practice so that he can give a believable performance before Congress.


  22. Japaner says:

    Since you’re such a patriot, when did you serve? Or are you currently in the military?

    Yes Toliver, did you serve because only those who served are real patr…er wait…this might be a problem for the great majority of Americans who DONT serve in the military.

    Please all of you, keep your mouths shut, only veterans can opine on the war.


  23. Zimzone says:

    What the good ‘lil General is not saying is if he doesn’t write the report right, he’ll have to write it on the blackboard 500 times.


  24. Japaner says:

    Right…. but we ALL know nothing gets out to the public before being washed and cleaned to fool the masses…. this certainly could not be a first time event…. after all, isn’t Iran next?

    Yet you managed to figure it all out, that there is a brainwashing scheme occurring that fools everyone but you.

    Quick, call the NYT and have this exposed. The stupid people are depending on you!


  25. Spudge_Boy says:

    Toliver isn’t serving, hasn’t served and won’t serve. He is a big blubbering pu$$y, just like all of the other screen names he has used. All of his personalities are pu$$ies.


  26. Hairy Crag says:

    “Is this stall taken?”


  27. Spudge_Boy says:

    Please all of you, keep your mouths shut, only veterans can opine on the war.

    Comment by Japaner — August 30, 2007 @ 3:07 pm

    Good, I take it that means you are going to shut the fu*k up now while us vets discuss this. Pansy.


  28. Democrat Soldier says:

    @23 – “Please all of you, keep your mouths shut, only veterans can opine on the war.” Comment by Japaner — August 30, 2007 @ 3:07 pm

    Oh, my God! We’ve got a psychic who thinks he know’s what everyone is going to say!

    Dum-ba$$.

    What I was going to say was “If you’ve never served, how can you claim that you know there was progress under the command of Gen. Petraeus? Did you read that from the MSM and awallow it whole, or did you engage your brain before you started spouting the party line?”

    I personally know people who work with Gen. Petrarus, and he’s not having near as much success in Iraq as is claimed by the spin-spin-spin of the right-whiners.

    You’ve proven you’re a tool of the right-whiners, Japaner.


  29. Democrat Soldier says:

    #25 – “The stupid people are depending on you!” Comment by Japaner — August 30, 2007 @ 3:10 pm

    No, all the ’stupid people’ swallow the drivel pushed by Drudge and the other spinning neo-con right-whiners.


  30. RUCerious says:

    We should start up a pool to see who can guess the order in which the talking points will be covered…

    1) Steady Progress

    2) Fight them here, instead of in Van Nuys

    3) Democracy in that part of the world

    4) Stand up when blah blah.


  31. powkat says:

    And I have a bridge for sale in New York. Cheap, but probably not as cheap as Petraus sold his career.


  32. veritas says:

    Be-Tray-us isn’t writing the report…ahahahahahahahahahahah! Does a bear $hit in the woods?? Of course, he is or he’ll be out of a job. This is truly comical.


  33. veritas says:

    Powkat: I almost used my swampland for sale analogy but changed my mind at the last minute…..guess great minds think alike?


  34. Toliver says:

    Interesting that post #2 is ignored. Let’s not let facts get in the way of a good smear.

    And I post using one name Spludge.

    Carry on with your venom.


  35. veritas says:

    The White House will have it’s fingerprints, toeprints, and DNA ALL OVER the General Report.


  36. veritas says:

    Or Be-Tray-us will write “something” and then the WH will edit the hell out of it. We know it’s already been written last month regardless of what the “boots on the ground” have to say. They’ve all become sidelined sycophants of Heil Bushitco.


  37. RUCerious says:

    Wouldn’t it be a breath of fresh air for the General to sit before Congress and admit

    “The report submitted to Congress is a pack of lies and half truths at best.
    We are making minimal military progress, and the political progress could be characterized as regression, not progression.
    We’re fu(ked and we know it.”


  38. veritas says:

    Tolivertroll: we hardly require your “permission” to carry on. To us, you’re totally insignificant.


  39. Pernell says:

    japaner, of course we all know Gang 43 lies, the NYT already knows that, the question is, what is the truth?

    Right now, we have the GAO vs. The Cult of Bush

    this is FOUR YEARS after Petraeus said things were on the upswing.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/29/AR2007082902434.html

    Iraq has failed to meet all but three of 18 congressionally mandated benchmarks for political and military progress, according to a draft of a Government Accountability Office report. The document questions whether some aspects of a more positive assessment by the White House last month adequately reflected the range of views the GAO found within the administration. …

    “Overall,” the report concludes, “key legislation has not been passed, violence remains high, and it is unclear whether the Iraqi government will spend $10 billion in reconstruction funds,” as promised. While it makes no policy recommendations, the draft suggests that future administration assessments “would be more useful” if they backed up their judgments with more details and “provided data on broader measures of violence from all relevant U.S. agencies.”


  40. veritas says:

    Hi RU! Wouldn’t it be “unique” to finally have someone tell the truth before congress? Remember those good old days when the truth meant something. Now it’s an ongoing avalanche of lies and bull$hit.


  41. veritas says:

    These guys believe that “De-Nile” is just a river in Egypt.


  42. Toliver says:

    Yes Veritas, you can be a self-loathing kook all on your own.


  43. Chris L says:

    Comment by Toliver — August 30, 2007 @ 3:25 pm
    #

    Concerning your post #2, is it your position that Petraeus is lying? In other words, Petraeus is stating that he will prepare this, but you are stating that the law requires the White House to prepare it. Only one of those can be true. So either the White House is breaking the law or Petraeus is lying?

    I know that the White House is required to submit regular reports to congress concerning progress in Iraq, however, I believe this report is not one of those regular breifings, but is supposed to be an independent report by the General himself. I could be wrong.


  44. J says:

    “Remember those good old days when the truth meant something.”

    I must not have been born yet…


  45. ronjazz says:

    Keep on smearing the military, it is something you’ve loved to do since Vietnam. Perhaps some of you cats will spit on him when he shows up up in DC? Come on, you know you want to.

    Comment by Toliver — August 30, 2007 @ 2:53 pm

    Wouldn’t that be fun? spitting on Betrayus, why not? He keeps sending troops to their deaths, he should be able to take a little saliva. Toliver, when are you enlisting to bolster the military? Huh? When?


  46. Spudge_Boy says:

    And I post using one name Spludge.

    Carry on with your venom.

    Comment by Toliver — August 30, 2007 @ 3:20 pm

    We don’t belive a damn thing you say and all you have to do is respond and I will be happy to send more venom your way. I just wish it could be the real kind.


  47. RUCerious says:

    Carry on with your venom.
    Comment by Toliver — August 30, 2007 @ 3:20 pm

    Anybody got snakes?


  48. ronjazz says:

    Anybody got snakes?

    Comment by RUCerious — August 30, 2007 @ 3:47 pm

    The GOP.


  49. Bobwurst says:

    “Perhaps some of you cats will spit on him when he shows up up in DC? Come on, you know you want to.

    Comment by Toliver ”

    I wouldn’t mind spitting on you.


  50. Raven says:

    Anybody got snakes?

    Comment by RUCerious

    Now that you mention it, I was here on the computer one evening a week or so ago, when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye….
    It wasn’t a rattler, thankfully…


  51. Raven says:

    “Wouldn’t that be fun? spitting on Betrayus, why not? He keeps sending troops to their deaths, he should be able to take a little saliva.”

    Americans have become such wussy sheep, they have even lost the fine art of booing when appropriate.

    To think they could actually have the courage to spit is beyond my belief.


  52. TripMaster Monkey says:

    RUCerious sez:

    Anybody got snakes?

    Plenty of cottonmouths in my neck of the woods, unfortunately.

    I’ll see if I can send one…I know I’ve got one of those big manilla envelopes around here somewhere… ^_^


  53. upside00 says:

    Keep on smearing the military, it is something you’ve loved to do since Vietnam. Perhaps some of you cats will spit on him when he shows up up in DC? Come on, you know you want to.

    Comment by Toliver — August 30, 2007 @ 2:53 pm

    Hey A$$Klown! I was wounded in combat in Vietnam and was spit on and also had red paint thrown on me so I know what that is like. I, unlike you, DO respect the military, just not it’s Codpiece Commander Guy-in-Chief.

    And I don’t respect you. using that lame excuse provided by the rover and kompany to try and divert the attention away from all the crap YOUR idiot savant has brought on our military, our justice system and our constitution.

    And yes, I do take it personally, and always will.


  54. dbadass says:

    RUCerious sez:

    Anybody got snakes?

    Herp numbers decrease with increasing latitude thus we’ve got few in NH. Of the ones we do have corn snake and eastern garter are the most common in my area.


  55. dbadass says:

    Perhaps some of you cats will spit on him when he shows up up in DC? Come on, you know you want to.

    Comment by Toliver — August 30, 2007 @ 2:53 pm

    Spit on vets seems like flames on flags, many speak of them but few have actually witnessed either


  56. dbadass says:

    And yes, I do take it personally, and always will.

    Comment by upside00 — August 30, 2007 @ 4:14 pm

    The experiences you have had are unacceptable and should never have happened. Thankfully they are rare and occurred at a very unique time in our history. I hope you will not misinterpret my meaning at 55. In general I hope you would agree that no matter their ideology most Americans support their troops just not always the actions those folks are asked to be engaged in.


  57. upside00 says:

    Comment by dbadass — August 30, 2007 @ 4:59 pm

    I am sensitive to the fact that in Vietnam, the troops were dissed for being in the war when most were DRAFTED! Now the troops are being dissed by the chickenhawks in BushCo because they are VOLUNTEERS and “asked” for it.

    We are ruining our military and the ability to recruit and keep good people in the services, which will haunt us for many years to come.

    When we are now paying up to a $40,000 bounty to just get enlistees, we have done something VERY WRONG!!


  58. bilbobaggins says:

    Oh, I see. It didn’t play well in Peoria that the White House was going to write the report so they told Betrayus to tell everyone that he is really going to write the report. Yeah, right. Like Bush is going to allow that to happen. They made a mistake by telling the world that they were writing the report, so they are rectifying that mistake by writing the report anyway, but telling Betrayus to say he wrote it. If anyone thinks that Betrayus is independent from Bush, you need you head examined. Betrayus would not still be in the position he is in if he was not a dedicated Bush yes man.

    Now, if Betrayus was an upright kind of guy and isn’t in Bush’s hip pocket, he will have the ability to be honest when he testifies in front of Congress. Buy I’m not going to hold my breath on that one.


  59. dbadass says:

    Comment by upside00 — August 30, 2007 @ 5:21 pm

    Point taken and respect for you and all of the rest like you.


  60. LibStl says:

    I know that the White House is required to submit regular reports to congress concerning progress in Iraq, however, I believe this report is not one of those regular breifings, but is supposed to be an independent report by the General himself. I could be wrong.

    Comment by Chris L — August 30, 2007 @ 3:41 pm

    This was my understanding as well. In fact, I seem to recall the White House saying that the report coming out in September was the General’s report. It’s not the same report required by Congress.


  61. bilbobaggins says:

    “3) Democracy in that part of the world
    4) Stand up when blah blah.
    Comment by RUCerious “

    I think they will skip #3. The last I read, Bush has given up on the idea of democracy in Iraq.



  62. bilbobaggins says:

    “The problem the left has is that they dont believe Pet will say what they want to hear, so the full court press is on before the first word is uttered.”

    No, the problem is that we don’t think that Petraus will tell the truth. He has become another one of Bush’s yes men. He has seen quite clearly what happens to Generals who disagree with Bush. And for some reason he thinks that holding on to his job is more important than being honest with the American people. So, he’ll tell the press what Bush wants him to say.

    I believe the troops whose boots are or have been on the ground, and I believe the retired generals (who still talk to the generals presently serving) who are now free to tell the truth.


  63. Ret. Col. Jack Ripper says:

    Toliver: “Your dem congress requires the administration to prepare and submit the F’n report.”

    So then maybe you can explain why Bush keeps saying Petreaus will make the report and Bush will follow the General’s recommendation. Is Bush lying to the American people, then?

    You guys always seem to want it both ways.


  64. Ret. Col. Jack Ripper says:

    There is no documented incident of protestors spitting on returning Viet Nam vets. Maybe it happened, but there is no proof other than anecdotal stories of this ever occurring. Since it’s all anecdotal, let me say that I knew lots of people who protested against the war in Viet Nam, some of them violently, and I never met anyone who would even consider spitting on a vet.


  65. upside00 says:

    Comment by Ret. Col. Jack Ripper — August 30, 2007 @ 6:27 pm

    Col. Jack, with all due respect, I was both spit on and had red paint thrown on me after I returned. The paint happened at SEATAC airport after leaving Ft. Lewis on may way home and the spitting happened on my college campus when I was registering for classes and came out of the GI Bill offices. Maybe isolated, but it did happen to some of us.


  66. Ret. Col. Jack Ripper says:

    I’m very sorry to hear that, upside. That’s just wrong, wrong, wrong.


  67. upside00 says:

    No worries, Col. Jack. I was against that war too. Joined VVAW and threw my ribbons over the WH wall and marched to shut down DC and felt I helped stop that immoral war. I always tell a soldier now when I travel, “thanks for your service”. Not showing my support of this illegal occupation, but to show my respect for their service.


  68. ucsbclassics53 says:

    I find it ironic that Toliver supports an administration that was SLOW AS MOLASSES in getting the troops body armor and cared more about enriching its corporate cronies than doing the right thing…

    that cared more about allowing Halliburton and KBR to charge the Halliburton tax, to feed our troops rotten meat, to steal a Super Bowl Party meant for the troops, to charge us taxpayers $45 for a 12-pack of soda…

    that wanted to CUT VA Funding, that did nothing to admonish the military when it was “diagnosing” PTSD as conduct disorder (blame the troops for their symptoms because to them it’s all in their personality)…

    this is supporting the troops Toliver style…

    whereas we want the troops out of a civil war we have no business intervening in, Toliver wants our troops to be in harm’s way because his god cannot stand to be wrong on this issue…

    poor idolater…pontificate about how we don’t support the troops when we support the whistleblowers who charge Halliburton is poisoning our troops and feeding them food that even you don’t deserve to eat, when we support getting rid of the war profiteers, etc. You aren’t supporting the troops, you’re supporting the Bush Administration and the war profiteers and the chickenhawks. Don’t kid yourself. You were never for the troops, you were for them being used as pawns in the game of politics…


  69. ucsbclassics53 says:

    and not just steal a Super Bowl party for the troops, but TO CHARGE US TAXPAYERS FOR IT. Y’all are so against social programs when it comes to your taxes, but when it comes to funding the war, you give your money without knowing where it goes to, WE ALL DO. It’s like you’re giving your hard-earned money to any huckster that comes along, in fact it’s like sending money via Western Union to those in Eastern Europe pulling off the Romanian laptop scam on ebay. We’ll never see that money, and we’ll never be able to get it back…remember the billions we lost in Iraq?


  70. The Sweet Sphincter of the Saviour Chocolate Jesus says:

    Toliver a number of people have replied to you silly yammering at #2, whats your response?



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