Petraeus Disagrees With McCain, Says Success In Iraq Was Possible Without The Surge
Petraeus Disagrees With McCain, Says Success In Iraq Was Possible Without The Surge
Gen. David Petraeus, top commander of coalition military forces in Iraq, recently sat down with Newsweek to do a “valedictory” interview before he takes up his new post as CENTCOM commander next month.
Newsweek reported that while Petraeus recognized that al-Qaeda in Iraq has been significantly diminished, he refused to say the terror group had been “defeated.” Moreover, Petraeus acknowledged that the recent successes in Iraq may have been possible without the surge:
Petraeus is careful not to credit all the progress to the surge of U.S. troops in 2007. The sea change came last year from a series of movements now known as the Awakening. [...] So would the Sunni Awakening have succeeded without the surge? Possibly, he concedes.
Yet, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) disagrees with Petraeus, who McCain recently named as one of “the three wisest people” that he would rely heavily on as president. Last month during an interview with CBS News anchor Katie Couric, McCain dismissed the notion that security in Iraq may have improved without the so-called “surge” of U.S. forces there:
COURIC: Sen. Obama [...] says that there might have been improved security even without the surge. What’s your response to that?
McCAIN: I don’t know how you respond to something that is such a false depiction of what actually happened.
Also last month, McCain declared outright that “we have succeeded in Iraq. We have succeeded.” Again, Petraeus cautioned against such rhetoric, Newsweek reported:
As the general’s counterinsurgency guidance puts it, under the rubric “Manage Expectations”: “Avoid premature declarations of success.” [...] “The champagne bottle remains in the back of the refrigerator,” he says.
However, McCain and his chief campaign surrogates have been declaring success in Iraq for quite some time. It is therefore unlikely they will be taking Petraeus’s advice.
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Uh-oh! Looks like SOMEONE's gonna be getting an "early retirement" this Christmas! Hope you got your 401(k) in order, General!
August 25th, 2008 at 4:56 pmThe cork may blow when the Shia central government goes after all those awakened Sunnis.
Petraeus can't have the surge blamed if that goes badly.
August 25th, 2008 at 4:57 pmMcCrappy pants.
August 25th, 2008 at 4:57 pmPetraeus job is safe under the war worshipping current administration. As CentCom Chief he has four months to remake the Middle East, per George W. & Dick Cheney's RISKy vision.
August 25th, 2008 at 4:59 pmOUCH!!! That's gotta sting, huh McCain.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:01 pmThere wouldn't have been a need to the so-called "surge" if Rumsfeld had listened to Gen. Shinseki. PERIOD!!
RIP
August 25th, 2008 at 5:02 pmSGT Stephen R. Sherman
C CO 1-5 IN (STRYKER)
KIA 3 Feb 2005
Mosul, Iraq
Ahhh, so THIS is why Pawlenty said Obama made a mistake by not picking Petraeus as his VP.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:03 pmgood_golly7 Says:
SHUT YOUR IDIOTIC FCUKING PIE HOLE, PUSSY.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:04 pmWhere's Good Golly to trash Petrayus as a 'traitor' who's denying the success of the 'surge'? ROTFL, too funny!
August 25th, 2008 at 5:05 pmDieNowForPeace - hysterical!!!! Poor gigi is such a whiny little thing...
August 25th, 2008 at 5:05 pmNO WAY TP IS DELETING POSTS FASTER THAN I CAN FLAG????
Good on ya mates!
Please excuse my polite message to the troll.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:05 pmMcSurge
McMyFriendssss
McHowManyHouses
McTraitor (not a proud POW)
McLetMeGetBackToYou
and coming to an election near you,
McLoser.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:07 pm--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DieNowForPeace Says:
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McSurge
McMyFriendssss
McHowManyHouses
McTraitor (not a proud POW)
McLetMeGetBackToYou
and coming to an election near you,
McLoser.
You forgot McMANIAC
RIP
August 25th, 2008 at 5:12 pmSGT Stephen R. Sherman
C CO 1-5 IN (STRYKER)
KIA 3 Feb 2005
Mosul, Iraq
An awful lot of people are disagreeing with McCain these days and many of them are from his side of the street. Must be frustrating for him.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:15 pmgoony version 8 will be along soon.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:16 pmBilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
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goony version 8 will be along soon.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
And with no upgrades ......
August 25th, 2008 at 5:22 pmFirstly, there were no surges for more than 5.5 years of Sen. John McCain's life.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:23 pmCOURIC: Sen. Obama […] says that there might have been improved security even without the surge. What’s your response to that?
McCAIN: I don’t know how you respond to something that is such a false depiction of what actually happened.
Evasion noted. But then what can you say when everything you've already said has been proven false.
http://progressiveworldreview.com
August 25th, 2008 at 5:24 pmI don't get it. If we've succeeded, then why can't we pull the troops out of there.
McIIIrd, something ain't squarin with the straight to hell express!
August 25th, 2008 at 5:26 pmSecondly, Sen. McCain already explained how Sen. Obama, and now apparently Gen. Patraeus, was so wrong on Iraq: He doesn't understand the fundamental understanding of Iraq.
Finally, the surge began before the 'awakening,' it was part of the awakening that started in Al Anbar province, before the announcement of the surge of U.S. troops to Bagdad.
So anyone who doesn't get that, well, they need to realize John McCain was a POW.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:28 pmSeems to me McCain is Disagreeing with Petraeus whilst Obama and Petraeus are basically on the same page.
BUT McCain is careful to only describe Obama's understanding of the state of affairs as "false".
P.S. I've not forgotten that Petraeus spent over half of August 2007 promoting the 'success' of the surge instead of actually managing it and testified to its 'success' in front COngress in Sept 2007.
Pre-surge the much-praised Petraeus also misplaced anywhere between 190,000 and about 280,000 weapons whilst overseeing MNF-I before his promotion, as well as losing somewhere between 100 and 300 million dollars in the process.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:30 pmReal Men? WTF is that supposed to mean? That is the phrase most frequently tossed about by dimwitted meatheads who once did what ever degrading shit necessary to have some pretend friends at their frat...
August 25th, 2008 at 5:35 pmNettles Says:
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McCain and his chief campaign surrogates have been declaring success in Iraq for quite some time
And Murtha, Reid, and Pelosi have been saying since 2006 that all is lost, America should just apologize to the Iraqis, and cut n’ run.
Democrats: You have many platforms on which to gloat that you are 100%, but do yourselves a favor: Don’t bring up the surge or the downward spiral of violence in Iraq. You look like whining buffoons when you do so. Stick to “Change” and “Universal Health Care” and “We want a Clean Envirnment”. Those are your big ol’ strongpoints. Leave the foreign policy to real men like Johnny Mac.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
John McDepends , one of the "real men" who claimed the idiotic and illegal invasion of Iraq would last tless than a year , asswipe ?
The GOP shouldn't talk about anything ; and you should join them in that box , shitstain......
August 25th, 2008 at 5:35 pmMy Opinion of Gen. Petraeus just went up. With these statements, it is hard to dismiss Gen. Petraeus as just another Republican hack. In My opinion, If HE had been calling the shots in Iraq, instead of Rumsfeld and Cheney, a lot MORE brave Americans would still be with us.
From Gen. Robt. Gard:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/7/14/7569/26098/54/551162
Since the beginning of this year, military experts that I’ve talked to argue that the fall-off in violence in Iraq had almost nothing to do with the increase in American troop levels -- and everything to do with actually talking with and supporting the previous insurgents. Recent published reports confirm that talks with the insurgents began all the way back in December of 2003, when military officers met with Sunni insurgent leaders in Amman, Jordan. Not only that, but when those talks were actually opposed by the administration, the military went ahead with the talks anyway.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:36 pmNettles Says: . . . Leave the foreign policy to real men like Johnny Mac.
Like that insightful bit of policy wisdom: "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" ?
August 25th, 2008 at 5:38 pmcut n’ run.
That's right Nettie, we're about to cut-n-run.
Just makes you want to kill some more, doesn't it?
August 25th, 2008 at 5:38 pmDieNowForPeace Says:
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cut n’ run.
That’s right Nettie, we’re about to cut-n-run.
Just makes you want to kill some more, doesn’t it?
August 25th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Yeah , as long as his own pansy b1tch ass isn't on the line , he does ...
Typical GOP chickenshit chickenhawk
August 25th, 2008 at 5:40 pmReal men sign confessionals? Then again since torture works so well maybe he was just being a "real man" and telling the truth...
August 25th, 2008 at 5:40 pmThe violence only went down for two reasons, ethnic cleansing of Sunni-Shia neighborhoods, and paying appeasement to the ruling sheiks whose personal armies were targeting US troops.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:42 pmNettles Says:
Leave the foreign policy to real men like Johnny Mac.
Says the idiot troll whose party is up against THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE this fall!
What's your disability rating in the political arena?
August 25th, 2008 at 5:47 pmWhat an arrogant 'discourse' attached to the word 'succsess'... Success of what? An occupation? The reasons given to the illegal invasion and ocupation was that Saddam Hussein possessed WMD. Were they successeful in finding them?! Then, when this LIE didn't work anymore, they came up with the 'noble (And I very much doubt its noble intent) and messianic' mission of 'Spreading Democracy' in the Middle East... Have they succeeded??! Or was it as successeful as the destruction of Nicaragua's Democracy?!!?! Have they succeeded in finding the "Alledged" mastermind of the 9/11 "alledged" terrorist attack, Osama Bin CIA Laden???!! Ahhhhhhh... they succeded in stealing Iraq's oil reserves for the big oil corporation!!! Gee... they have to be more specif in their political lies and discourses!!!!
August 25th, 2008 at 5:56 pmIt sounds like Gen Petraeus is aligning himself with his future boss. And it ain't Flippy McSpin.
August 25th, 2008 at 6:10 pmObama better put the whip to this nagy and ride it across the finish line in November!
August 25th, 2008 at 6:17 pmMcwars the warmonger is at it again,dismissing the Gen. and his intelligence and the fact that he is in charge og of Iraq.Mcwars is a moron and and POW and that`s all he has got.Consistently voting against those he sends over to fight their necon battles or not voting at all, how despicable and a loser come November, Mcwars is fighting for the neocons and not this country.
August 25th, 2008 at 6:19 pmMcCain claimed he "knows how to win a war." But I've yet to hear anyone ask him just what war he "won." If he's referring to Iraq...well, obviously a little premature on the face of it.
August 25th, 2008 at 6:36 pmif John McCain had been in Charge of the Viet Nam War, instead of an unfortunate POW...
He would have stubbornly stuck to the notion that we could WIN.
The Wall would be a lot Longer.
And 35 years later, we would still be buying Shirts and Caps with "Made in Viet Nam" labels on them.
August 25th, 2008 at 6:47 pmNettles, the McCain supporter's helpful advise: "Don’t bring up the surge or the downward spiral of violence in Iraq."
Try to keep up, Nettles. According to McClatchy news services, the Shiite-dominated government is now going around arresting the Sunni "Awakening" militiamen and taking their weapons. The Sunnis say this brings them back to "square one." Since the purpose of "the surge" was political reconciliation, the "surge" has failed. Meanwhile, while we were bull-shitting around with the "surge," the Taliban fixed itself and has been killing our guys in Afganistan in record numbers.
So, maybe we SHOULD bring up the "surge" and who had better military judgement.
August 25th, 2008 at 6:55 pmMcCAIN: I don’t know how you respond to something that is such a false depiction of what actually happened.
And you were there day in and day out to verify this?
Thought so.
August 25th, 2008 at 7:16 pmHello!!?? Is this the same McCain who said the surge was the best think to ever happen?? WTF??
August 25th, 2008 at 7:21 pm49erDem Says:
Try to keep up, Nettles. According to McClatchy news services, the Shiite-dominated government is now going around arresting the Sunni “Awakening” militiamen and taking their weapons. The Sunnis say this brings them back to “square one.”
And a deadline of (Saturday) Nov. 1, for Sunnis to disarm.
Since they have effectively been shut out of positions in the new Iraqi military, if the deadline passes, and payments to the Awakening members stop, then we'll have a full news cycle of nothing but renewed violence, and increasing attacks on American troops.
The American election isn't until the following Friday, so it will potentially be one lively damn week; one that might even eclipse the post-election strains of the Bush/Gore contest.
August 25th, 2008 at 7:34 pmNettles Says:
Mostly ignorant hivemind talking points not worth repeating. REAL men arent as ignorant as you and McStupid nor as COWARDLY as YOU. The GOP should appologize for continuing the incredibly stupid policy of getting as many Americans killed as they possibly CAN. Your ignorance is palpable
August 25th, 2008 at 7:39 pm"So would the Sunni Awakening have succeeded without the surge? Possibly, he concedes."
Wow! "Possibly" according to TP at least actually means absolutely.
August 25th, 2008 at 7:58 pmThese two need to get their heads out of each other's ass. There can be no victory to a war/invasion/occupation that should not have happened in the first place.
August 25th, 2008 at 8:13 pmIf the success came before the surge, then the surge cannot have been the cause of the success. I learned that in logic class once.
August 25th, 2008 at 8:24 pmPamela Hess of UPI was on Washington Journal reporting on the events later to be known as the "Awakening" in March 2007, SIX MONTHS before the surge started. The "Awakening" would have happened without the surge.
August 25th, 2008 at 8:28 pmNettles says: "....leave the foreign policy to real men like johnny mac"
hey nettles,is this the same johnny mac who is sending his wife (a beer baroness) to georgia to assess casualties? - i heard this on cnn a few hours ago - what is your take on this? - to me,this is insane!!! - and YOU seriously believe that he's the 'man' for foreign policy?!? - the guy doesn't even know which countries border afghanistan!!! - and by the way nets,understanding foriegn policy stretches beyond starting fights in the middle east.
August 25th, 2008 at 8:49 pmSUNNI "AWAKENING" = "BRIBED"
SUNNI "AWAKENING" = "BRIBED"
SUNNI "AWAKENING" = "BRIBED"
Hooray to the spineless dems who refuse to bring this up.
Giving foreigners american taxpayer money to not try and jump our border is heresy, but somehow, paying foreigners to stop killing our troops is ok.
Well, I do suppose we live in a country where the "pro-war" party is also the "pro-life" party, so I suppose it all makes sense in a totally senseless sort of way..
August 25th, 2008 at 8:54 pmChoc Jesus,
August 25th, 2008 at 9:39 pmI find it strange that reporters Michael Ware and Peter Bergen can say on tv that the drop in violence is due to putting 100,000 insurgents on our payroll---but not a single Democrat can say this. Too anti-war. Too disparaging of our military.
# 48 & # 49:
Yep !!
¶ AIO
August 26th, 2008 at 12:24 amJohn McCain said that we should have gone into Afganistan, but even though he was not for going into Iraq, he stated that he had to talk to the president into getting stronger because we were losing the war! Iraq is much better now and I think that it was due to the tremendous forces that we have been putting on our president with the fact that our economy is tanking because of his story to go shopping and live it up because he is spending so much on the WAR in Iraq and He has done NOTHING about finding the real culprit behind our 911. Also the fact thatwe are paying three times the salary for all of those other workers that are going over there from Dick Cheney's former company together with the fact that we have been losing all the BILLIONS of Dollars and why are we over there in the first place?
August 26th, 2008 at 6:45 am