In White House Deliberations on War, Gen. Petraeus Has a Privileged Voice

[babylonsister]

Bush Listens Closely To His Man in Iraq
In White House Deliberations on War, Gen. Petraeus Has a Privileged Voice

By Michael Abramowitz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 6, 2008; Page A01


For months, a debate raged at the top levels of the Bush administration over how quickly to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Iraq. But the discussion shut down soon after President Bush flew to Camp Arifjan, a dusty Army base near the Iraqi border in Kuwait, in January for a face-to-face meeting with the man whose counsel on the war he values most: Gen. David H. Petraeus.

During an 80-minute session, the president questioned his top commander in Iraq on whether further troop reductions, beyond those planned through July, would compromise security gains. According to officials familiar with the exchange, Petraeus said he wanted to wait until the summer to evaluate conditions -- and Bush made it clear he would support him and take any political heat.

"My attitude is, if he didn't want to continue the drawdown, that's fine with me," Bush said before television cameras later, with Petraeus standing by his side. "I said to the general: 'If you want to slow her down, fine; it's up to you.' "

In the waning months of his administration, Bush has hitched his fortunes to those of his bookish four-star general, bypassing several levels of the military chain of command to give Petraeus a privileged voice in White House deliberations over Iraq, according to current and former administration officials and retired officers. In so doing, Bush's working relationship with his field commander has taken on an intensity that is rare in the history of the nation's wartime presidents.

Those ties will be on display this week, when Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker report to Congress on progress in Iraq, and when Bush is expected to announce a decision on future force levels. By all accounts, Petraeus's view that a "pause" is needed this summer before troop cuts can continue has prevailed in the White House, trumping concerns by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and others that the Army's long-term health could be threatened by the enduring presence of many combat forces in Iraq.

more...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/04/05/ST2008040502476.html?hpid=topnews

[Submariner]

1. Bush needs this FALL-guy badly so that the ghost-writer (Karen Hughes)

that writes his post-pretzeldency biography can squarely lay the loss of the Iraq war at the feet of his commander in the field, and of course the democratic party president that ends this madness and brings the troops home.

Petraeus (a star grabbing suck-up) is nothing but a YES-man who can now see that he is the FALL-guy for the Iraq failure, and needs time to pass this diaperload off to the next suck-up commander in the field so that the loss blame will roll down hill.

[EFerrari]

2. What a farce. How can anyone write something like this

with a straight face.

[babylonsister]

4. What, you were expecting anything approaching criticism, or truth? nt

[spanone]

3. since when does a general set policy?

[KG]

5. when he tells the chimp-in-chief what he wants to hear.

[spanone]

8. oh, that's right.

[I work for workers]

6. LOL @ armchair generals who are pissed Bush is listening

to the general in command of the war effort. If Bush isn't going to end the war, at least he finally started listening to someone with a plan other then "keep on keeping on".

[babylonsister]

7. If 'keep on keeping on' isn't Petraeus' plan, what is? He's complicit

in running the clock out for *; the last time he went before Congress, he got his talking points from the wh. Petraeus' strings are being pulled.

[I work for workers]

9. A detailed counterinsurgency plan?

As much as people seems to hate Petraeus here, having a counterinsurgency plan is better then the three years we didn't. If our military is going to be in Iraq, I'd rather have them working towards some kind of solution instead of just hanging out in a war zone with little discernable reason.

[babylonsister]

10. How about a plan to just GTFO? Their plans don't and haven't worked.

The Iraqis haven't come up with a political solution; all the hoopla about training the Iraqi forces and now, having been trained, they're deserting. There is no solution.

[I work for workers]

11. That isn't going to happen under Bush.

Petraeus' command seems to have been the most effective since the war began. So long as our troops are going to be there, I'm happy he is in charge.