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Title: Petraeus eyes long commitment in Iraq (CAKEWALK ALERT!!!)
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Published: Apr 26, 2007
Author: LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press
Post Date: 2007-04-26 11:33:51 by tom007
Keywords: None
Views: 112
Comments: 8
Petraeus eyes long commitment in Iraq By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer 5 minutes ago WASHINGTON - Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said Thursday that conditions in Iraq may get harder before they get easier and will require "an enormous commitment" over time by the United States. ADVERTISEMENT Speaking as the Senate debated veto-threatened legislation to start bringing home U.S. forces in October, Petraeus called the war there "the most complex and challenging I have ever seen." The four-star general, named by President Bush to oversee the recent buildup of American forces, cited some progress in the two months since the troop increase began. Still, he said, "there is vastly more work to be done across the board. ... We are just getting started with the new effort." He avoided commenting directly on the legislation before the Senate, which passed the House Wednesday night. "I have tried to stay clear of the political minefields of various legislative proposals," he said. But his comments made it clear that his war plan did not include a significant reduction of U.S. forces anytime soon. "This effort may get harder before it gets easier," Petraeus told reporters at a Pentagon briefing, depicting the situation as "exceedingly complex and very tough." He said that the increasing use of roadside bombs and suicide attacks, plus the greater concentration of U.S. troops among the population, has "led to greater U.S. losses" as well as increased Iraqi military casualties. Asked how many troops he thought would have to remain in Iraq — and for how long — to finish the job, Petraeus said, "I wouldn't try to truly anticipate what level might be some years down the road." However, he noted historical precedents to long U.S. peacekeeping missions. "It is an endeavor that clearly is going to require enormous commitment and commitment over time, but beyond that time I don't want to get into try to postulate how many brigades or when we would start to do something," he said. Petraeus said matters were made worse by "exceedingly unhelpful activities by Iran and Syria, especially those by Iran." Asked whether senior officials in the Iranian government were sanctioning sending weapons and technology to insurgents in Iraq, the U.S. general said it was hard to say. "We do not have a direct link of Iranian involvement," in attacks, he said. Petraeus also said that, while the fledgling Iraqi government is often billed as a unity government among Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, it actually is not. "It is not a government of national unity. Rather, it is one comprised of political leaders from different parties that often default to narrow agendas and a zero-sum approach to legislation," the general said. He said that was one reason why progress has been so slow on deciding how to divide up oil revenues and pass budget and emergency powers laws. Despite the disappointing pace, Petraeus said he believes that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other leaders "are committed to achieving more in this area in the months ahead." Petraeus cited slowly improving conditions in turbulent Anbar province in western Iraq, noting it had been "assessed as lost six months ago." He said the increased U.S. presence in various outposts has enabled Iraqis "to stitch together the fabric of society that was so torn." But he said improvements, such as the reopening of shops and the return by some residents to their homes, are "often eclipsed by sensational attacks that overshadow our daily accomplishments." "Iraq is in fact the central front of al-Qaida's global campaign," he said. "Al-Qaida-Iraq remains a formidable foe with considerable resilience and a capability to produce horrific attacks." "This group's activities must be significantly disrupted at the least for the new Iraq to succeed," he added. "The key to success is disrupting their attacks."
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#1. To: tom007 (#0)
If this is true, then why did they choose Iraq? Could our unilateral intervention have had something to do with it?
In other words, we're going to need a lot more money and cannon fodder before we have successfully looted Iraq of all its oil. As soon as the oil is gone, we'll be out of there in a heart beat. Richard W.
Puissent tous les hommes se souvenir qu'ils sont frères!
What really happened: Bush talked to generals until one said what he wanted to hear, and that was General Betray Us.
good one ;)
I wish I could take credit for "General Betray Us," but I read it somewhere and want to give it as much play as possible. You know that's how he got the job. Oldest trick in the book. Big companies love to bring in new experts who analyze the business, then tell the company to do what the company already wants to do - like lay off 20%, or dump a division. Then the top officers can say "hey, we hired these guys because they're good." See also Mike Judge's film Office Space, filmed in Austin and now a cult classic.
i liked that movie. i didn't realize it had been filmed in Austin!
Yes, it was. If you watch closely in the opening minutes, in traffic, you'll see some low rise office buildings from up on the north side of town. Austin has a healthy film industry, and a lot of smaller to mid sized films are shot in the area. Vancouver and Toronto are bigger than Austin for film shooting outside of Hollywood, but Austin has built a nice industry the past 15- 20 years. There are several really good screenwriters who make Austin home. Mike Judge, who wrote Offic Space, is a Texan, as reflected in his cartoon King of the Hill. uh huh yep yessir yep
"Iraq is in fact the central front of al-Qaida's global campaign," he said.
#2. To: tom007 (#0)
"I wouldn't try to truly anticipate what level might be some years down the road."
#3. To: tom007 (#0)
#4. To: tom007 (#0)
#5. To: Paul Revere (#4)
Bush talked to generals until one said what he wanted to hear, and that was General Betray Us.
#6. To: christine (#5)
#7. To: Paul Revere (#6)
Office Space
#8. To: christine (#7)
(Edited)
i liked that movie. i didn't realize it had been filmed in Austin!
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