Petraeus Promises 30000 Home NEXT SUMMER: US Troops Held Hostage for RNC 2008 Politican Gain

[McCamy Taylor]

In today's McClatchy newspaper, there is a report that Gen. Petraeus, the man who lied about Saddam's mobile weapons lab, can see the future with such accuracy that he knows that the surge will have done its job in Iraq by next summer, and the time will be right to bring home 30,000 out of 160,000 US troops.

http://www.star-telegram.com/388/story/231172.html

Petraeus and Crocker firmly rejected the Democrats' main ideas and suspicion that the White House coordinated their testimony.

"I wrote this testimony myself. It has not been cleared by, nor shared with, anyone in the Pentagon, the White House or Congress," Petraeus said, his authority enhanced by the four stars on each shoulder of his uniform and the rows of military ribbons on his chest.

This is nonsense. No one can say with any certainty what will be happening in Iraq next summer, except that the country will still be in a state of civil war, thanks to the weapons the US is now supplying to Sunni militias to match the weapons we have already supplied to Shia militias. If the Bush administration's secret plan is to keep Iraq in a perpetual state of war in order to justify a US military presence that goes on and on for years to come in order to protect the oil interests of companies like Exxon and Condie's own Conoco, then they have found the right strategy---keep all sides in the conflict well armed.

However, there is one thing that the Republicans know will be happening next summer. Some unlucky GOP front runner presidential candidate will be attempting to get W.'s job, despite the massive unpopularity of the quagmire in Iraq. It will be very important next summer for the Bush-Cheney administration to do what Nixon-Kissenger pretended to do in the fall 1972---develop a sudden interest in peace. The Republicans must pretend that they are attempting to bring our troops home, and that the newly elected Republican president will continue to bring more troops home.

Never mind that the real plan will be for a post election day increase in military activity reminiscent of November 2004's Fallujah. Never mind that all the Republican front runners have vowed to continue the war in Iraq just as long as Big Oil and their Saudi masters tell them to keep fighting it. Next summer, they intend to give America a nice heaping helping of salted peanuts, to quote Henry Kissinger, the master of the strategy of using war and American military lives for political gain. And once their objectives are achieved, they will change courses, and go back to doing what they damn well please.

What surprises me most is that Petraeus and the White House have the nerve to come right out and admit that they plan to wait until next summer and that they plan to bring home exactly 30,000 troops. Can they make their political machinations any more obvious? Only by putting Karl Rove's political play book up for auction on E-Bay.

[jmp]

1. Right on the money.

Cynical politics and war mongering at its worst.

[McCamy Taylor]

2. Correction--I meant Chevron, the other C oil company.