Gen. Petraeus on Hot Seat at AP Annual Meeting in NYC

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http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003581657

Gen. Petraeus on Hot Seat at AP Annual Meeting in NYC

By Greg Mitchell

Published: May 07, 2007 12:30 PM ET

NEW YORK U.S. Army General David H. Petraeus told the Associated Press annual meeting today, via satellite from Baghdad, that the "surge" campaign he is leading in Iraq "is likely to get harder before it gets better. ... We are putting our soldiers at greater risk." He said it was far too early to declare it a success and for now only cited "some progress" in "some areas." On two occasions he referred to "some" Iraqi units truly pulling their weight.

But he sidestepped a key question from an AP reporter in New York who asked what it would take for him to advise President Bush, at a promised early September meeting, that it was time to start to get out of Iraq. Petraeus replied to that in general terms and said he did not want to "speculate," which might leave the news gathering with a "big headline" or land him in a "political minefield." He also hinted that the U.S. could "modify the objectives."

Surprisingly, the questioning by two AP representatives in New York did not touch on the plight of the news service's photographer, Bilal Hussein, who has now been held in Iraq by the U.S. military without facing charges. The AP's CEO, Tom Curley, who introduced Petraeus, has made this a high-priority concern.

Petraeus stood at a lectern in Baghdad wearing combat fatigues. The satellite link went down for five minutes at the outset and then briefly again from time to time as the hour-long session continued.

Asked about a poll showing that 68% of Iraqis want us out of that country, Petraeus said his forces have to combat "rumors" because "our motives are pure."

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