Report on Iraq Sees Progress; OK, what happened to the true report?

[dajoki]

Report on Iraq Sees Progress; Bush Rejects Troop Pullout
Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times
“I believe we can succeed,” President Bush said at a news conference at the White House today.

By DAVID STOUT and CHRISTINE HAUSER
Published: July 12, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/12/world/middleeast/12cnd-surge.html?bl&ex=1184385600&en=fa06790756cc33ea&ei=5087%0A

WASHINGTON, July 12 — With the release of a White House report finding some progress on political and security goals in Iraq, President Bush said today that it was premature to be talking now about a withdrawal of American troops.

The report, which was released this morning and sparked immediate reaction from Mr. Bush’s critics, said the Iraqi government had shown satisfactory performance so far on 8 of the 18 benchmarks, including providing brigades of troops to support security operations in Baghdad. But more work was needed on eight others, it said, including preparations for local elections. And in two areas, it was not yet possible to judge how things are going.

<<snip>>

But he(Bush) said, “I don’t think Congress ought to be running the war; I think they ought to be funding our troops.” Running a war from Capitol Hill, he said, “is a prescription for failure.”

<<snip>>

While the White House report noted progress in the military realm, with an overall decrease in the numbers of Iraqi civilians killed in sectarian violence and in casualties from car and truck bomb blasts, some of the benchmarks have not been met in that section, such as improving the capability and impartiality of the Iraqi security forces and government ministries.

The report said that the government has made satisfactory progress in ensuring that the Baghdad security plan does not create safe havens for violent groups, but not in increasing the number of Iraq security units that are capable of operating independently.Mr. Bush said that support for the Iraqi government and sustained military pressure must be increased at this “crucial moment,” as troops work to defeat Al Qaeda and other extremists; and thereby create the conditions allowing American forces to return home.

Transcript: President Bush on Iraq (July 12, 2007):
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/12/washington/12bush_transcript.html
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OK, what happened to the true report? Which devious minds in the admimistration "fixed" it? All we heard leading up to the report was that it was bad news for Bush. He was even talking about a drawdown of troops for Christ's sake. Now everything is hunky dory, back to "stay the course". The White House report noted progress in the military realm, with an overall decrease in the numbers of Iraqi civilians killed in sectarian violence and in casualties from car and truck bomb blasts. If you believe that I have a bridge for sale. The months since the so called "surge" have been the bloodiest in the war. And the other thing that gets me is they keep saying "wait until the 'surge' is fully complete". What the hell does that mean? If its not complete by now it, never will be. Am I wrong here or does something stink? If I am wrong please tell me.

[ladjf]

1. Last week the report said "no goals reached".

A couple of days ago, it was some, then 8 out of 18 and 50 percent.

What kind of report was this?

[dajoki]

2. So I'm not crazy...

I thought maybe I was dreaming or forgot how to read. But I still want to know who fixed it.

[dajoki]

3. Some comments on report...

INSTANT VIEW 4-W.House issues progress report on Iraq govt
12 Jul 2007 17:48:38 GMT
Source: Reutershttp://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N12336403.htm

<<snip>>

* DANIEL BYMAN, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR PEACE AND SECURITY STUDIES AND THE SECURITY STUDIES PROGRAM AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY "The White House has spun it cautiously. I think they overstated the progress on the security front but were careful not to go too far in overstating progress on the political and diplomatic front. They're portraying it as a glass that's half full. I would say the glass is at best a quarter or a fifth full."

* ANTHONY CORDESMAN, STRATEGY EXPERT AT THE CENTER FOR STRATEGIC & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES "The Iraqi government has not really met the Bush administration's benchmarks in any major area. Seen from a more nuanced perspective, actual progress has been more limited and has often had tenuous meaning."

* ILLINOIS SENATOR AND DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE BARACK OBAMA "Does this White House think that we don't know how to turn on our televisions? Don't tell us we're making progress in Iraq when the last three months have been some of the deadliest since this war began for our brave troops who have sacrificed so much. And don't tell us it's progress when the Iraqi leadership has done nothing -- nothing -- to take the political steps necessary to end their civil war."

* DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE AND FORMER NORTH CAROLINA SEN. JOHN EDWARDS "The president's remarks today defending his Iraq policy without regard to actual facts border on the delusional. The president claimed that the same people attacking U.S. troops today are the ones who perpetrated 9/11. It must be nice to live in a world where your actions have no consequences. There was no group called Al Qaeda in Iraq before the president's disastrous mismanagement of the war gave them a foothold."

[dajoki]

4. KO: "Bush has just done the same thing with his report cards...

and managed to change the f‘s he was getting on the war in Iraq and counterterrorism."

KO's Countdown Transcript:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19745624/
Bush's state of denial-Video:http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?f=00&g=18255061-e157-4482-a098-452aace60cdc&p=Source_Countdown&t=c1149&rf=http://www.msnbc.com/news/984616.asp?cp1=1&fg=

Good evening from New York. Just last month a high school student in Germany, faced with having to repeat his sophomore year because of a bad report card, convinced two friends to break into his classroom and try to steal that report card from his teacher by threatening her with an iron bar.

Our fifth story on the COUNTDOWN. That plan collapsed due to its fatal flaw, it never dawned on the kid that people would realize his motive was so obvious.

Unfortunately it does not work this way in Washington, where President Bush has just done the same thing with his report cards and managed to change the f‘s he was getting on the war in Iraq and counterterrorism.

The Bush administration‘s heavy hand, clearly evident in the final version of the Iraq interim progress report that was released today to Congress, instead of simply stating whether the Iraqi government has met any benchmarks, a clear no in all 18 areas as described in the first draft of the report revealed last week, the administration now claiming progress, however that is defined, has been satisfactory on 8 of the 18 benchmarks, eight not satisfactory, two, a mixed bag.

Congress already telling the White House what it thinks of the Iraq report. The House earlier tonight approving legislation that would require the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq beginning in 120 days.

Now, imagine what the final draft of the al Qaeda intelligence assessment is going to look like once the White House is finished with that.