So How Are Things Going in Iraq?
By Larry Johnson on July 19, 2007 at 3:52 PM in Al Qaeda, Current Affairs, Iraq
by
Larry C Johnson
I was interviewed this morning on the Young Turks radio show and predicted that when General David Petraeus submits his progress report in September he will report that the surge is working and that more troops will be required to complete the mission. Keep that in mind.
One of the current talking points the Administration is hyping to convince Americans that the surge is working concerns the reduced violence in Ramadi. CNN and outgoing JCS Chairman Peter Pace are touting the remarkable drop off in violence. What they fail to note is that the United States has stopped kicking in doors in Ramadi and has virtually turned over the security mission to the local tribal chiefs. In fact, this was a solution the tribal chiefs themselves devised and implemented. But, peace in Ramadi does not mean that area is under the control of the government in Baghdad nor responsive to the Shia-led Maliki government.
Now check out these articles:
- 07/19/07 MCT: Raid on U.S. compound in Iraq carried out with brazen precision It was late afternoon six months ago in the government compound in Karbala, Iraq. In a moment of respite from the war, Army Pfc. Johnathon Millican was instant-messaging with his wife back in Anchorage, Alaska, where a snowy day was just beginning.
- 07/19/07 NPR: Iraqi Forces Fail to Show Readiness The U.S. military says it is making progress training Iraqi soldiers and police to handle domestic security. But a recent attack by al-Qaida fighters on an Iraqi police station shows the Iraqis are not yet self-reliant.
- 07/19/07 AP: Audit - Iraqi military base lacks fuel, power A shortage of electricity and fuel at an Iraqi military base has led to deteriorating equipment, difficulties with medical care and spoiled food that sent Iraqi troops to the hospital, a U.S. report says.
If you think this bodes well for the future then Bush has a job for you–turning bullshit into chocolate mousse.
Thank you so much for speaking truth to power, Larry!
It’s no surprise that Gen. Petraeus will betray us [the troops] and lie to keep his job. That’s why Bush appointed him.
It is no surprise that these people will lie; every word out of *ushits mouth is a lie. From the NIE to the subterfuge of the news talkers this government assiduously adheres to a policy of mis direction and deception designed to control a mentally lazy population. History seems to show that politics and truth rarely coincide.
Will it ever be that honesty and truth prevail amongst our leaders? Will we ever have the government that our forefathers envisioned? Seems not, as long as corporate interests override human ones.
There was a good opinion piece somewhere that used the analogy of a little boy waking up Christmas morning only to find a huge pile of horse manure under the tree instead of presents. Just as the warhawks insist that they can still smell “Victory” in Iraq, the boy starts optimistically shovelling horse manure because, “There’s GOT to be a pony in there somewhere!” The link to the article had the funny title:
“STOP DIGGING, THERE’S NO PONY.”
Since you cannot maintain honor with dishonesty General Petraeus may be a victim no matter what he says.
There is a long line of military men shown the door over this war. They chose to sacrifice their careers rather than lie and it is something to be proud of.
Hopefully General Petraeus places a premium on his dignity too, after-all medals are more than buttons.
Ugly Moe, based on what I have heard about Petraeus, my advice is not to stop breathing waiting for that to happen.
Shirin,
My hope is not so strong as to make me reckless.
- Ugly Moe -
After going through Generals like dirty underwear, maybe Bush has finally found a pair crusty enough to wear.
I have held off saying this for a long time, but Larry, you will probably know a lot more about this than most of us, but is Petraeus really interested in the mission, or is the fact he was willing to catch the hot potato of Iraq proof of his qualities or his ambitions?
Here’s my point… if Tommy Franks and the rest of the retreating Conga line of military leaders wouldn’t touch that hot potato, would Petraeus have ever even been considered for thejob?
I think there is ample evidence that this new and vaunted Bush General was much more ambitious than patriotic when he was offered the job.
Seems to me, all the real patriots have already told Bush his war is a mistake. And I respect them for that, even if it was much too belated in most cases.
But Petraeus is like a new manager in a failing factory, who is more than anything else, glad to be a manager, even if the plant is about to collapse under its own weight.
Petraues would never have been positioned to pimp death and destruction for Bush, if a lot of more honorable (or more pragmatic) Generals hadn’t “cut and run” when their “Easy war” turned sour.
So, just how many Generals does it take to run a war?
In the Bush administration, it takes about 50. 49 to resign because they know it is a lost cause, and one to stay on because he wants to vbe “the man.”
a little clarification;
Here’s my point… if Tommy Franks or the any of the rest of the retreating Conga line of military leaders who won’t touch that hot potato, had believed in the cause and remained inplace, would Petraeus have ever even been considered for the job?
Jis’ like that little kid with the runny nose, littl’ Bushie kept pickin’ ’til he found one he liked . . .
I heard a story on NPR (?) the other day that the General is ALREADY asking for more troops for the surge to work.
The more things change…
the standard idiom is “Don’t hold your (fuukin) breath!”
one last clarification… what I am getting at here is that, if Petraeus was the honest eagle scout he is portrayed as, from the outset he would have joined his own voice to those who went before him, telling Bush and Cheney their war is just a disastrous mess, not a “war” at all.
But, then, those $10 billion monthly installments would have dried up… and the Bush profiteers wouldn’t have made that extra hundred million for the month.
Petraeus is not going to come back and say we are failing nor is he going to say we should we pull out. He owes his 4th Star to Bush and the time for payback is near. No four banger is beyond politics anymore.
Besides anyone who believes that we will totally pull out is barking up the wrong tree. We have to much invested in that country to totally pull out.
Your hearing the spin now, logistics/support, counterterrorism, regional security force… Thats more the picture…
Yesterday I was chatting with a prominent Iraqi journalist I know. I had just read an article of hers about one of Bush’s recent speeches, and wanted to let her know how much I liked it. When I told her I thought she had been too kind to Petraeus, though, she started to extol his virtues, to remind me of all the “wonderful” things he had done in my “home town” (Mosul), that he was a good friend of hers, etc.
He must be a hell of a good bullshitter.
Of course there will be less violence, it’s summer. There’s always less violence in summer. Look here.
Pee on the Tree of US, is nothing more than a pimp…
As noted above, he is just the last in a line of pimps that georgieboy and his minions command. The rel patriots, have long since taken their leave, and some are brave enough to speak truth to power. Their service will not be forgotten in the annals of history, as will not the traitorous acts of the scoundrels who accomplished this coup.
My anger is beyond measure. I could expound for days on end without ever listing or describing the attrocities to human kind that have been done to the people of this Nation, and to indeed the World. I feel the time coming… Their crimes are soon to be visable for even the blind to see, and the deaf to hear. They will be punished for thier sins… Let all that feel the Spirit say, Amen… God does NOT like UGLY, and those that do sin in God’s name will be punished all the more severly. I have LOTS of anger within me… Righteous anger… and only God’s wrath will abate it. We are still crossing the desert, but the time is nearing an end. PEACE to all.
amen, M. Amen!
Petraeus will not lose his job regardless of the report he delivers. He will still be a general, folks. For life. And that you can so easily trash a four star general who has dedicated his life to serving and protecting really demonstrates how you support the fuukin troops.
This is what you have wrought, Larry. Too fuukin bad you have joined your fellow democrats in spreading BDS where it has spread to the very military you claim to support.
Truth to power. What a horribly stupid phrase. Larry wouldn’t know the truth if it bit him on the ass.
If you want to know how Larry speaks truth to power, google his appearances in front of committees. Maybe he can explain how he tells you guys one thing but when power is in front of him, he wobbles.
Speaking of Petraeus, I just found this on http://www.theleftcoaster.com/.
Petraeus Loses His Shine
Many people are pointing to Andrew Sullivan’s comments noting that General Petraeus has severely damaged his ability to be seen as a credible impartial voice on Iraq.
If I were eager to maintain a semblance of military independence from the agenda of extremist, Republican partisans, I wouldn’t go on the Hugh Hewitt show, would you? . . . I think such a decision to cater to one party’s propaganda outlet renders Petraeus’ military independence moot. . . .
But Petraeus is either willing to be used by the Republican propaganda machine or he is part of the Republican propaganda machine. I’m beginning to suspect the latter. The only thing worse than a deeply politicized and partisan war is a deeply politicized and partisan commander. But we now know whose side Petraeus seems to be on: Cheney’s. Expect spin, not truth, in September.
Is this really surprising? After all, this is the same General Petraeus that helped Judith Miller when she was touring Iraq for WMD.
Check out the rest of the post, which also links to the articles referred to, at http://www.theleftcoaster.com/
Cute. The man wrote the book on counter-terrorism and yet you believe this piece of shit called Larry C. Johnson.
Sue,
“Cute. The man wrote the book on counter-terrorism and yet you believe this piece of shit called Larry C. Johnson. ”
Try the Generals staff wrote the book….not the General himself. Get your facts straight. Besides and again I ask how do you fight a counter-insurgency with about 17K trigger pullers on a real crappy rotation cycle? How do you secure an objective and forget to tell the enemy you have secured that objective? Ask the General those questions?
By the way, how much military or counterterrorism experience do you have to be calling anyone a piece of shit?
Learn to close your tags, Shirin.
Trying again to close Shirin’s tags.
Can’t do it. The administrator will have to do the job that Americans won’t do.
Uh. Oh. Plame’s civil case was dismissed. Now whatcha gonna do? ::grin::
You talk about who is and isn’t patriotic, yet you’re ecstatic that CIA agent in charge of tracking WMD has been outed, along with the CIA’s entire operation, putting who knows how many other lives at risk during the war on terror. You really are a TWIT.
By the way, the Wilsons were expecting the decision. Their case was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds, not on its merits. The Wilsons plan to appeal to a higher court.
Yeah. I’m ecstatic. I’m more concerned about the actual leaks of national security secrets, the ones you people don’t seem to care about.
BTW, I’m glad they were expecting it. You would think they would have known to file it in the proper court to begin with.
Can it be that we are at what might be yet another turning point in this war? The good news coming out of Iraq is a far cry from what we were hearing as recently as a month ago. The embarrassing defeat of Harry Reid and the rest of the surrender crowd in the Senate all-nighter showed that there remains a lot of fight left in those lawmakers who are unwilling to admit defeat in Iraq. I have noticed that even the MSM is beginning to report in a more positive manner.
I remember all too well the many “light-at-the-end-of the-tunnel” proclamations that came out during the Vietnam War, all of which were quickly drowned out in the sea of public opinion. Yet I cannot help being more optimistic about this war today than I was as recently as a week ago. Thanks largely to the efforts of the blogosphere and conservative talk-radio to bring the news as to what is actually taking place in Iraq, combined with Reid’s abysmal dog-and-pony show, it would not surprise me to see a turnaround in public opinion regarding the war. I feel more confident today that the American people will give Gen. Petraeus and “the Surge” at least until September to assess whether the offensive is working. I will even go a step further and predict that the September report will provide enough positive results and hope for eventual success that the Reid’s, Durbin’s, and Hagel’s in Congress will crawl back into the little holes in the wall from which they emerged.
JACK . . . WHAT???? I can’t believe you actually post that crap . . . “another turning point”?? shit, we been spun so many times into the ground that I’m beginning to smell Chinese food! And now there are tales today, that our anticipated “September Report” may be delayed until November or DECEMBER . . . kept dodgin’ ’til the grown ups take over . . . Reid showed that the Republic Party favors “stay the sinking course” and fails to support the troops (speaking of which, those of us that did or are serving should be enlightened that “the White House” opposed pay increases of 3.5%, medical payment reform and 15 month home rotation for combat service - guess if they stay home too long their families might get attached to them . . . check at military.com - HARDLY a Lefto Hotbed - to see how THAT plays) But, WTF, being’s we’ve never met . . . you might say “I don’t know Jack” . . . BIKFDI . . .
Reply to Jack…”The surge”….
I just don’t get it? Is death and distruction without a plan and or cause really worth all this political rightwing crap? Remember Jack, the reasons for going to war was a lie. Is supporting a lie because one is Republican or Democrat worth the lives of American soldiers? Is going to war with out cause really worth any American lives? Conservatives? No Jack. No true conservative goes to war because of a ideology. Only the insane do this.
General Petraeus is in a tough spot and I pray and hope he remembers that he is wearing the same uniform that all those who have given their lives in support of this war of choice.
“I remember all too well the many “light-at-the-end-of the-tunnel” proclamations that came out during the Vietnam War, all of which were quickly drowned out in the sea of public opinion.”
I remember it to… I was there…. Where were you?
Sorry about the italics, folks. I deleted part of what I had cut and pasted after applying the italics, and posted before remembering to replace the close italics tag. I think we need an admin to reset.
In the mean time, after reading about Judith Miller’s “friendship” with Petraeus, and thinking about my Iraqi journalist friend’s declaration of “friendship” with him, I am thinking how “convenient” it WOULD be for him to have so many “friends” in the news media if he is, as many of us suspect, part of the propaganda machine.
Petraeus is getting ready to go down in history as just another prevaricating political stooge.
The more I hear him talk the more I see Rove’s hand up his ass.
God save the US troops that have put their faith in him.
-GSD
FYI, I don’t typically go back and re-read posts I’ve already read. If you reply to me by using the reply button, I will probably not see it.
Oh well, our loss.
Oh Oh. The same clowns that invoke Bill Clinton every two minutes have invented “Bush Derangement Syndrome” to stop all debate. See, the “Bush Haters” can’t think rationally so all of their arguements are nulll and void. Now let’s watch the ABC mockumentary that blames all of 9/11 on evil Bill Clinton!
Funny stuff.
Also the same clowns that are incensed at criticism of General Petraeus are the same clowns that ridiculed General Wesley Clark and numerous other Generals as “Clinton Generals”.
It’s OK if you are a Bush supporter.
-GSD
I’ll be the one banned, not you. I have no way of ’stopping the debate’.
Pssst…another FYI, I voted for Clinton (in 1996) and was mad as hell they harassed him with lawsuits that could have and should have been delayed until he left office. Not that that matters in the grand scheme of things, but just for perspective that your argument doesn’t work with me.
Hmmm, is self-absorption a typical trait among wing-nuts?
Sorry Sue, you are right. George W. Bush is right too. So is General Petraeus, until George W. Bush decides that Petraeus has failed him.
-GSD
LINK
If I posted something so transparent, I’d be laughed out of here.
Don’t patronize me. If you think Petraeus should be trashed at this blog, then by all means, step up to the plate and take your best shot. At the end of the day, Petraeus will still be referred to as General Petraeus, just as Clark is still General Clark.
Interesting turn of the worm, 3 Sunni groups form alliance, reject Al Q.. Vow to continue fighting all foreign occupiers:
http://agonist.org/cernig/20070719/sunni_insugency_plans_political_front
1Watt, rejection of Al Qa`eda and its knock-off in Iraq are nothing new. They have never been popular with anybody in Iraq. In fact, you could say they are about as popular in Iraq as the Americans are. The fact that they don’t go around kocking down doors at 3 AM might give them a slight edge, but…
ANY LEGAL TYPES AROUND???
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/07/20070717-3.html
What is the difference between blocking and attachment?
It seems so vaguely worded it could be used against anybody.
I HAVE THE TOOLS, quoth he.
I take it back.
Overreacted.
The ACLU is investigating this. See what TPM Muckraker has to say about it.
Its good to hear the Defeat America crowd is alive and well… I know most of you would be gutted and deeply depressed if the US Army reported that it was making progress in Iraq. Hell, God forbid if our soldiers should actually win this one… What will you losers do? pathetic…
Dan,
Speaking for myself, if I wanted America to lose I would have voted for George W. Bush.
- Ugly Moe -
Ugly Moe,
Just in case you think I mean you, Dan is the IDIOT, not you.
Hey Idiot,
A lot of people here have either fought in Iraq or have family and friends fighting in Iraq.
If you support this war so much, why don’t you volunteer to go fight in it?
It doesn’t matter to you, obviously, whether there really is progress in Iraq, you want to believe there is.
If it was true, we would be joyous. But it isn’t, Unfortunately, people like you let your wishful scenarios completely outweigh the clear realities. You so desperately want to replace reality with your delusions, are killing our sons and daughters. And you are too blind and proud to see it or admit it.
Don’t turn your hatred into bitterness, pal, you are blaming your fellow Americans for what your lousy leaders did. You are just one of the late-comers, most everyone else already knows the Iraq war was a mistake.
As for believeing America has lost this stupid war, that is so ludicrous, there is no one to lose to, and there is NOTHING MORE TO LOSE, except 80% of their oil.
If you think I made that up, you are not only bitter, you are terribly uninformed.
Tours of troops extended in Iraq
did you all know that we have lost 49 troops so far this month? I sure didn’t till I looked it up. The MSM sure as hell is not letting us know that we are loosing ppl.
I tried to do a link on this from icasualties but it did not show up…;o(
http://icasualties.org/oif/
On ABC’s “This Week With George Stepanopoulis they give the names of dead soldiers released by the Pentagon that week. At the beginning of the segment they show the list of names before they zero in and start reading them. Sometimes it’s a shock. You really have to think hard and tax your memory to remember when there wasn’t this drip-drip-drip of military casualties coming home. No one told us that this futile bloodletting was what they meant by, “Post-9/11 America.”
Bush’s legacy reminds me of a movie, “Mussolini, The Last Three Days.” Mussolini pulled a Bush on the Italian people, only on a much larger scale. After he was executed by Partisans while trying to escape to Germany at the end of the war, the radio reported succinctly: “Mussolini was executed after a brief, but fair trial.”
This Week With George Stepanopoulis….I try to watch this too. It begs to make me stunned at times. I try hard not to but it just breaks my heart.
brenda, yes this is being kept from the sheeple. I have been trying to link and post, but lose am having difficulty. have sent 2 links to Susan on bombing in N Iraq by Turkey, and extension of troop deployment for those in Anbar, where my son recently returned… here tell there is lots of other tropps moving as well. hopefully it will be home. Yesterday is not too soon for me… hope you are well.
M, I am well. Had a bout of not beeing well but am back at being human again…:o).
My prayers are with your son. Hugs to you both.
We here in the US should be so lucky when they eventually get around to getting these war criminals on trial… preferably in the Hague after a brief trial….
What a surprise, Larry, we won’t know how the surge is going until…wait for it…November.
KEEEEY Wrap!!!! Our Jack and Sue will be disappointed - they were both walking around hard as Chinese Algebra (TX Robin) just waitn’ for September when all us cut’n'run French fry eating surrender monkey illegal alien lovin’ Unionized sub humans of uncertified ethnic racial origin would KNOW that we is winnin’ . . . and they is RIGHT
Damn, gonna miss that Whine and Fromage Party we planned . . . but hell, we can cheer up and get a Christmas Present Drive for the new orphans and widows . . . .
Whoops, did I say we won’t know how the surge is going until November? Silly me, I meant summer 2008.
Warning of Police State:
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Oldline_Republican_warns_somethings_in_works_0719.html
If allowed to occur, that particular something in the works (crossing the last bend in the Rubicon), will get George Bush out of the White House. I don’t think he grasps that he is a high-maintenance t/fool, who, once he is no longer necessary, will be retired to resume his former career as bag man.
ALL RIGHT !!!! WHO DIDN’T DO IT??? Who forgot to close their italics?
Test.
the whole goddamn thread is in italics.
Where is the glitch????
this stuff looks ok in preview mode.
It’s my fault, rjj. I forgot to close a tag, and it seems only ad admin can reset it. I have tried, but no luck.