Delay decision on Iraq cuts, Petraeus says

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Source: New York Times

By Michael R. Gordon
Updated: 47 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The top American commander in Iraq, Gen. David H. Petraeus, has recommended that decisions on the contentious issue of reducing the main body of the American troops in Iraq be put off for six months, American officials said Sunday.

General Petraeus, whose long-awaited testimony before Congress will begin Monday, has informed President Bush that troop cuts may begin in mid-December, with the withdrawal of one of the 20 American combat brigades in Iraq, about 4,000 troops. By August, the American force in Iraq would be down to 15 combat brigades, the force level before Mr. Bush’s troop reinforcement plan.

The precise timing of such reductions, which would leave about 130,000 troops in Iraq, could vary, depending on conditions in the country. But the general has also said that it is too soon to present recommendations on reducing American forces below that level because the situation in Iraq is in flux. He has suggested that he wait until March to outline proposals on that question.

Many Democratic lawmakers have demanded deep troop cuts as well as a timetable for making the reductions, and there has been concern within some quarters of the Pentagon about the stress of repeated deployments. The effect of General Petraeus’s recommendations would be to begin troop reductions somewhat earlier than many experts had anticipated, while deferring deliberations on more fundamental troop issues. In effect, the much-awaited September debate in Congress over Iraq would become a prelude for another set of potentially difficult deliberations next year.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20689981 /

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Surprise, Surprise.

[Tempest]

1. Petraeus has taken up the Friedman unit

And in 6 months, he'll want another Friedman unit.

[Jacobin]

4. He's going one better

He wants a "Paused Friedman Unit".....we have to wait six months to see if we need another Friedman Unit.



They are getting very creative!

[Kikosexy2]

7. Stalling for time?...

tick-tock, tick tock...

[arewenotdemo]

12. You beat me to it.

[Journeyman]

2. Well, that's what was expected to happen -- six months or more ago. . .

this conflict will tear this country apart. so it continues, and will continue for the foreseeable future.

Even the change is but more of the same. Plus ça change, plus c'est pareil.

[Gman]

3. So in essence

he's recommending a reduction to pre-surge levels. Which may be that the surge intended to artificially up the number of troops so that 6 months later it would look like a reduction.

[LiberalFighter]

5. Interesting tidbit about Petraeus courtesy of "The Inside Dope"

A more elaborate example of administration Disneyland can be found in those bubbly Baghdad markets visited by John McCain and other dignitaries whenever the cameras roll. Last week The Washington Post discovered that at least one of them, the Dora market, is a Potemkin village, open only a few hours a day and produced by $2,500 grants (a k a bribes) bestowed on the shopkeepers. "This is General Petraeus's baby," Staff Sgt. Josh Campbell told The Post. "Personally, I think it's a false impression." Another U.S. officer said that even shops that "sell dust" or merely "intend to sell goods" are included in the Pentagon's count of the market's reopened businesses.


The Inside Dope

[Amerigo Vespucci]

6. Yes, I read that Dora Market piece last night...

...the shop keepers say that if it weren't for the U.S. presence and all of the measures taken to create the illusion of stability, they'd stay open one or two hours a day, tops (as compared to the three or four hours they're staying open now).

Number one rule of politics: if you don't have a legitimate success story, spend some money and create one. Wag the Dog, anyone?

[skip fox]

8. Data on Iraq War and Surge, from # of deaths/month to Iraqi resources:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[Seabiscuit]

9. IOW: Let's keep the surge going until next August.

[MasonJar]

10. No! No! No! Go see "No End in Sight!"

[deacon]

11. 'delay the withdrawal 'till right before the elections' is what he said.

[superconnected]

13. Um isn't he a general, and isn't his commander and thief chimpy

Why yes, his boss IS CHIMP!

I think they cooked the books.

It still stinks like bush-shit.