Petraeus attempting to stop Congress from answering his promised September 'report' w/ policy change

[bigtree]

September report not deadline for policy change: US General



LONDON (AFP) - The top coalition commander said in an interview published Thursday that a crucial report he will give to Congress in September should not be seen as a deadline for a change in US policy towards Iraq.

Speaking to The Times newspaper in Baghdad, US General David Petraeus said that September was a "deadline for a report, not a deadline for a change in policy." :mad:

Petraeus said that he and US Ambassador to Baghdad Ryan Crocker "intend to go back (to Washington) and provide a snapshot at that time ... and begin to describe what has been achieved and also to provide some sense of implications of courses of action."

"Neither of us is under any illusion."

In Washington, however, Democrats agitating for an early withdrawal of US forces have fastened on Petraeus's appraisal report in September as a make-or-break moment for Bush's war campaign.

report: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070621/pl_afp/iraqusmilitary

[AndyA]

1. 14 more dead American troops in the last 24 hours.

How many is enough?

End the war. Bring the troops home. They should have never been in Iraq in the first place. They should have been in Afghanistan searching for Osama, instead of outsourcing that little task.

Unfortunately, I don't think our Democratic controlled Congress has what it takes to run this country and put a stop to Bush and his war. :(

[bigtree]

2. well, they're in the best position of ANY group to confront Bush on this

and, it's now more than clear WHO is keeping our troops bogged down in the middle of Iraq's civil war and who intends for them to stay there.

[Ezlivin]

3. NCLB has benchmarks and goals; why not the war?

If No Child Left Behind can demand that certain goals be reached and progress measured against established benchmarks, why can't the war meet goals and benchmarks?

[bigtree]

9. reoublicans are just being dishonest about their continued enabling of Bush

in Iraq.

There is no logic that can justify continuing the U.S. occupation.

[TwilightGardener]

4. Well, I admit it will give me pleasure to watch Mitch McConnell,

Jeff Sessions, and some of the other Repubs try to backtrack away from their September "make-or-break" talk.

[bigtree]

6. many others, as well . . . my earlier take

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Bloody September In Iraq

If we multiply the results of their escalation so far, and project the increase in casualties the administration and the military say they expect as a result of their increased deployments and escalated aggression against the Iraqi communities they've occupied, we can easily predict what September in Iraq will bring . . .

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_ron_full_070508_bloody_september_in_.htm

[TwilightGardener]

7. Excellent article. It wasn't the Dems that made a big deal out of September--

it was Republicans, desperately searching for cover from the bloody and fruitless summer they knew was coming--Petraeus just picked up the rock they were hiding under and moved it.

[bigtree]

8. exactly. they set up the dynamic and they should be hung with it

[VP505]

5. What about

some of the RePukes who said that by September if significant progress hasn't been made they would call for a policy change? Regardless of who said what if the Dem's back away from setting some bench marks I think its going to cost us big time in 08.