Holy Crap!!!! Petraeus' report will be written by the White House?!?!?

[kpete]

Holy Crap!!!! Petraeus' report will be written by the White House?!?!?

After all the BS hyping of "commanders on the ground" you would think this might merit more than being buried in the 29th paragraph.

Despite Bush's repeated statements that the report will reflect evaluations by Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, administration officials said it would actually be written by the White House, with inputs from officials throughout the government.

Isn't that a headline on its own?

(The broader article http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pullback15aug15,0,4840766.story?page=1&coll=la-home-center) predicts that the WHITE HOUSE WRITTEN REPORT, will try to meet the spring drawdown required by rotation problems by "removing American troops soon from several areas where commanders believe security has improved, possibly including Al Anbar province."

Sounds like a "mission accomplished" to me. I'm sure the Shia government will be ecstatic at a safe haven for the Sunni insurgency.)
http://bornatthecrestoftheempire.blogspot.com/2007/08/holy-crap-petraeus-report-will-be.html

[Skinner]

1. At least they're admitting it.

I think it's safe to assume that the plan all along was for the report to say whatever the White House wants it to say.

And, let me guess: They're going to say that the surge is working. :eyes:

[bdamomma]

15. yup, we will be there for another 50 years, yea, let them implement

that draft and let them see what happens. Enough.

[TechBear_Seattle]

16. But is that a good thing?

That they openly admit such a thing: Does it mean that someone was careless about he said? Or does it mean that the Junta is securely enough ensconced that they do not need to provide plausable denial anymore?

:scared:

[xxqqqzme]

48. anyone w/ half a brain & paying attention could write

that report today....why wait until September.

[harun]

56. Yah, I can't imagine anyone here believing this was

ever going to be anything but a staged, preplanned, say what we tell you event. Congress knows it too. EVERYTHING done now with Iraq is to stall so Bush can leave it in this status for the next administration. If it goes good after he leaves he will say it is because he was strong enough to stay, if it goes bad he will say it was because the next person didn't run things right. Sickening really. The only solace I take from the whole thing is that only about 10% of the population will believe that garbage, oh and about 90% of the main stream media.

[Laurab]

63. Well of course they are, in fact Bill Kristol said it last night

on The Daily Show - the surge is in fact working, he saw it with his very own eyes. Of course the province he mentioned wasn't the one the surge was in, which Jon was kind enough to point out, but that's just a tiny little detail...

[stop the bleeding]

64. who here is honestly shocked/surprised about how this will go down?

I'm not, however I am a bit surprised that they are admitting to it.

[MadMaddie]

67. The Democratic Congress will be surprised....just sayin...

They gave him until September....200 plus people killed on Tuesday in Iraq...but the report will say the surge is going well....

The question is do they cave again with 70% of the American people saying get the Fuck out of Iraq?

I am not surprised either....

[acmavm]

2. Only logical. Saves them time from having to make any changes

[saltpoint]

3. I'm kind of surprised they could find a literate soul IN the Bush White House.

There's been little evidence of it in the last 6-7 years.

I bet David Petreaus wishes he had a better boss to work for.

[atreides1]

6. Petreaus has the boss he wanted

His loyalty is to Bush, not to the US Constitution or to the country, that is secondary in his mind, if it's even a consideration!

Just my personal opinion.

[CGowen]

20. isn't he called "Betrayus"? n/t

[midnight]

23. That is exactly what I thought when I read his name.

I'm not sure what passes for competence any more. It seems like such a fades memory.

[dickbearton]

54. The Pentagon is defiled...

Like everything else the Criminal Bush comes in contact with.

[atreides1]

4. And this is a surprise why????

This was a no brainer, General Betrayus will be reading from a prepared script, I made that statement some time ago. I'm sure others here already suspected that this was how things were going to go.

[Fovea]

57. It was that, or Lubyanka prison for him...

Wait, you mean this isn't the Soviet Union?

[Philosoraptor]

5. But of course.

[Solly Mack]

7. LMAO

Sorry - but anyone thinking there's any straight dealing coming out of this criminal executive is stupid, a liar, equally complicit - or a combination thereof

Why do people keep pretending that Bush is anything but what he is - a war criminal, a liar, a thug... a wanna-be tyrant that America keeps lying to themselves about

It's all been one lie after another...nothing else

Lies to justify crimes...lies to justify corruption and abuses...lies to justify the lies

Lies used as a carrot on a stick - getting people to chase after the lie in hopes that something will change if they just follow the carrot long enough

I'll tell you this lie..and you'll tell yourself that something will be different come September
I'll tell you this lie and you will believe that in 6 months the damage can be changed, stopped or reversed

Sure, you'll grumble and complain but you'll also make excuses and invent comforting rationalizations ...all the while still following the carrot

[TahitiNut]

35. Yep. That diarrhetic dog has been shitting on the carpet for over seven years.

How can ANYONE express surprise at each pile of poop? It's what he does, fer Krissakes.

[Solly Mack]

47. Exactly. He is what he is..and will never be any different

[zabet]

8. The WH controls all the news..

that is released from its bowels. They decide if it stinks or
if it smells like roses.

[zabet]

9. The WH controls all the news..

I don't know why this double posted!!!!
Grovelbot is working behind the scenes -
messin' up mah posts!

[Canuckistanian]

10. Maybe they can use Friedman to take dictation

He's a fair stenographer, I hear.

[Xipe Totec]

11. Just another White House, White Paper, White Wash. nt

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

12. When Lindsey Graham declared "God Bless General Petreus" on MTP a few weeks back,

it demonstrated the General's perceived compliance in maintaining the unholy war.

Even skeptical me is taken aback by the fact that he'll be openly reading from a script prepared by the WH. It's the "openly" part that's surprising.

For all the trumpeting and heralding of the report, you'd think the cabal would at least attempt a facade that the general had actually written "his" assessment.

:seatbelt on: MKJ

[Junkdrawer]

13. I wonder if it will be to the White House's liking????

I just can't stand the tension...

What a cliffhanger!

[Rose Siding]

14. Really, because they can be brutal on themselves

:rofl:

[Lobster Martini]

17. This should have been the headline, but it was buried---

"Administration and military officials acknowledge that the September report will not show any significant progress on the political benchmarks laid out by Congress." This comes as a surprise to whom?

So in effect, we are waiting for a report from Petraeus that will actually be written by the White House that includes results that are already known and that will explain why Petraeus has concluded--even though he won't have written the report--that the White House should follow a strategy that will be remarkably similar to the strategy that has produced no significant progress...

It may be necessary to draw a flow chart to follow that sentence...logically, it amounts to "if A is true, then A is true." Thanks. Gonna have to wait until September to see that in the White House press release. And then nothing in particular will happen.

[newportdadde]

18. Was there ever any doubt?

[AwakeAtLast]

19. The fox is running hen house.

Not that that is anythng new, but that's what is happening. :(

[flyarm]

21. i heard last week, in history, no General has ever written a report such as this..

not even Mac Arthur..only presidents have ever written a report such as this..i believe it was John Dean who said such..but i really can't remember, but the point was made that only a President has the responsibility to the American people to write such a report..and throughout history..no General has ever written such a report to the American people.

so it seems the white house is now finally following protocol.

fly

[screembloodymurder]

22. When you can rewrite history,

why wait for news?

[flyarm]

28. again, no General in history of this nation has ever written such a report..it is not protocol

for any General to write a report to the American People ..it is the presidents responsibility.

i wish i could remember who said it last week on TV either John Dean or J. Turley..but no general not even MacArthur ever submitted a report directly to the American people..only a president ever has submitted such a report to the American People.

so this is a non issue as no General in History of this nation has ever submitted a report directly to the American people..

[screembloodymurder]

36. My point is, the "report" will be and always was gonna be

a work of fiction based on wishful thinking. Did anyone here think we'd get a real report?

[flyarm]

55. oh i never thought we would..never..only fools would believe these assholes!! eom

[librechik]

24. Impeach

:kick:

[spanone]

25. they want to play shuffleboard with the troops and appear to de-escalate.

truth is the surge already added 30 + thousand to the war.....they will not return home soon, if ever.

[deminks]

26. I wonder why unkie KKKarl didn't stay around to write the Petraeus Betrayus report.

So Chimpy, now we know what you did on your summer vacation. The Petraeus Betrayus report.

He has just turned his generals into clowns. I wonder what the military thinks of this.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

33. Dana Perino will be in charge

her wily ways, her sexy smile, her pack of lies - she's the perfect person to concoct a set of lies needed to put more fear in America.

[fooj]

45. William Kristol spent 8 days in Iraq...

along with the other "cons", I suspect he helped write the damn thing, eh?

[seafan]

27. Petraeus' Sept. report to be written by WH; legislation by Congress allows Bush to interpret data

This needs to be seen by Keith Olbermann ASAP.

And to our Charie Brown leaders in the House and Senate: How much longer are you going to try to kick that football that Bush holds in front of you? You are defying your oaths to protect the Constitution of the United States.



LA Times


By Julian E. Barnes and Peter Spiegel, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
August 15, 2007

....

Administration and military officials acknowledge that the September report will not show any significant progress on the political benchmarks laid out by Congress. How to deal in the report with the lack of national reconciliation between Iraq's warring sects has created some tension within the White House.

Despite Bush's repeated statements that the report will reflect evaluations by Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, administration officials said it would actually be written by the White House, with inputs from officials throughout the government.

And though Petraeus and Crocker will present their recommendations on Capitol Hill, legislation passed by Congress leaves it to the president to decide how to interpret the report's data.

The senior administration official said the process had created "uncomfortable positions" for the White House because of debates over what constitutes "satisfactory progress."

During internal White House discussion of a July interim report, some officials urged the administration to claim progress in policy areas such as legislation to divvy up Iraq's oil revenue, even though no final agreement had been reached. Others argued that such assertions would be disingenuous.

"There were some in the drafting of the report that said, 'Well, we can claim progress,' " the administration official said. "There were others who said: 'Wait a second. Sure we can claim progress, but it's not credible to . . . just neglect the fact that it's had no effect on the ground.' "

The Defense official skeptical of the troop buildup said he expected Petraeus to emphasize military accomplishments, including improving security in Baghdad neighborhoods and a slight reduction in the number of suicide bomb attacks. But the official said he did not believe such security improvements would translate into political progress or improvements in the daily lives of most Iraqis.

"Who cares how many neighborhoods of Baghdad are secured?" the official said. "Let's talk about the rest of the country: How come they have electricity twice a day, how come there is no running water?"

[Ganja Ninja]

29. Wow! I didn't see that coming.

But I'm sure we'll get an objective report anyway.:spray:

[seafan]

30. This really needs to go to Olbermann ASAP. Preemptively.

It's time people publicly get in front of these lies by this administration.

Bush will succeed in kicking the can down the road on his dirty Iraq catastrophe unless we are successful in spotlighting what he is doing. And then beat our Senators and Representatives over the head and shoulders about it. (Figuratively, of course.)

This is a fight we will win.

[Lil Missy]

31. It never occurred to me that the report would be an honest accounting.

Of course it will say the surge is working, and they need "a few months more." Again.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

how can anyone be surprised?

there was no chance in hell that they would allow an individual write something that important "unscripted"

what we have to do is write our congresscritters and force them to acknowledge that this is nothing but a scam.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[rodeodance]

34. Translation------CHENEY will write it.

[Kablooie]

37. There will actually be three reports.

One is Petaeus's view of the situation.

Two is a more fully written version for Bush, with all the negative points removed.

Three is the publically released report glowing with pride at how masterfully everything is being accomplished.

[Ilsa]

38. No President Left Behind. Yeah, my kids would have straight As

if they got to write their own exams and grades. I would trust them for a more fair appraisal of their work than I would the WH.

[radfringe]

39. psssst... it's already been written, long before

Petraeus was put in charge. He got the job because he's the only one willing to sign off on it.

[Alpharetta]

43. Last week Huffington Report said it's already written

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-klass/the-september-reports-are_b_59499.html

The September Reports are Already Written
Richard Klass
Those who have worked in the government or in any large organization will not be surprised to learn that both reports are already largely written,

[MadHound]

40. So, now that our suspcions have been confirmed, there's only one question left.

Will the Dems in Congress continue to support this illegal, immoral war, or will they actually grow a spine and defund the war? We know the surge isn't working, the Dems know the surge isn't working, hell, even Bush in his heart of hearts knows that this surge isn't working. So will the Dems continue this fiction of some sort of possible "victory", vote for further funding and further support for the war? Or will they finally fulfill the mandate of the people and put an end to the madness.

Sadly, I hold very little hope that they'll do the right thing.

[Alpharetta]

46. It's embarrassing for democracy

I don't know how we can claim to be a democracy when Congress votes lockstep with torturers, wiretappers, corporate "security" armies in Iraq and elsewhere protecting multi-national interests.

And they're too selfish about their own jobs, instead of taking a moral stand for the country. Reminds me of the first Iraq War vote, where Senators voted Yes because they had some kind of "long view", patiently "keeping their powder dry" for something important, I guess.

[Major Hogwash]

41. Katrina, 9/11, the Iraq War - want more of the same - vote Republican!

Well, I kind of thought they would do this, write the report themselves.

They've got to control the message - they have to keep claiming that progress is being made in Iraq.

Yet, they never tell you exactly what that progress is, they never define it.

Are they defining progress as the number of insurgents killed last month compared to the month before?
Are they defining progress as the number of Iraqi parliment members who haven't resigned yet?
Are they defining progress as the rising number of IED attacks that were made on American soldiers last month?

Are they defining progress as the number of barrels of oil they've pumped out of Iraq?

I think that it's time that Pelosi and Reid decide not to fund the war anymore.
I think that the Democrats need to pull the plug on Bush's mistake and push him into a corner.
If the Democrats don't get this war stopped before next spring by defunding it, another 500 American soldiers will have been killed in this war started on lies of WMD's.

And they will have died for nothing.
We're leaving Iraq, in 2008 or 2009 or by 2010, but we are leaving Iraq, so let's face the facts, the men that are being killed in Iraq today are being sacrificed for nothing.

[rateyes]

42. Wouldn't it be a great thing if....

we all could have graded our own college papers? Everyone would have a 4.0.

Who will guard the guards?

[youthere]

44. You sound as though you doubt their ability to be honest.

(yeah, I know, I had a hard time typing that without laughing) Why do you hate Amurika? :crazy:

[The Count]

49. Petreus was a sock puppet anyway...Mishun Accomplished - part deux...

[shaniqua6392]

50. I guess the 500 killed in yesterday's attacks

will put a real damper on the line of bull crap the White House is about to feed us in September.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

62. you mean the

aberation,
a slight setback against a backdrop of great progress,
the turning of the corner,
the strong, widespread progress,
real progress seen more and more,

[ColonelTom]

72. Yep, it's an outlier. Or so the out-and-out liars will tell us.

Meanwhile, the irony of how our country's domestic and foreign policy changed - perhaps irrevocably - as the result of a single day's terrorist attacks will be utterly lost upon everyone. :banghead:

[shaniqua6392]

76. Yup. That's the one!

Ethnic cleansing......another term used in the media regarding this event.

[ooglymoogly]

51. Why even bother to put out a report...

any one of us could write the paper that is going to come out....just write the truth and then change all the values to their opposite.

[jkoehler]

60. No need for anyone to write the report

Write the report? Hell, all they do is get the report from last year out of the filing cabinet, change the date on it and reissue it. "We've made great progress but there is still a lot of hard work ahead of us." Doesn't anyone notice that the report never changes?

[valerief]

52. More like Unholy Crap. nt

[BlooInBloo]

53. Well duh. How else are they gonna get someone to say "we've turned the corner"?

[kirby]

58. Betraeus reports to the Commander in Chief

so he will report what he is ordered to.

[Generator]

59. I'm finally starting to admire Bush

he's the ultimate con-man. He's DAMN good. No WAIT-even better than a con-man- he punks the Dems (or does he? hmmmm) and all they do is write legislation approving whatever he does. He's OPEN about it.

He just about literally rubs their faces in shit and they say,"More please."

[viat0r]

61. I Knew it!!!

I have been saying for WEEKS that ROVE wrote the report ahead of time!

[DaveJ]

65. They will do anything, no matter how reprehensible

No matter how despicable, they will do it. Their only concern is with legality but in today's world people can be utterly disgusting staying within the bounds of the law and flourish.

[IDemo]

66. I'm sure they can bring Baghdad Bob out of retirement

[Senator]

68. Is It Impeachment Yet?

Or do you want to take another shot at kicking the football Charlie "DCDem" Brown??

Only Impeachment ... is actually DOING anything.

It is our ONLY moral, patriotic, (and legal, legislative, electoral, diplomatic...) option.

Get on with it.

----

[sampsonblk]

69. So what? 'We didn't have the votes!'

Remember that bullshit?

'By September, all the Republicans will be on our side, and then we'll have a veto-proof majority against the war.'

Bush's invasion of Iraq was, in my opinion, the dumbest foreign policy mistake in US history. The Dems' recent cave-in and subsequent stupid excuses for it, should at least qualify for a footnote in Bush's entry. By funding this stupidity, we allowed him to continue this indefinitely.

[file83]

70. Just how deep does this rabbit hole go?

Because I've been tunneling through this fucker for 6+ years now, and it is showing no signs of stopping.

[symbolman]

71. It's really quite simple

Everything that keeps the Treasury money flowing into offshore accounts will continue - the biggest LIE being told anymore is when the Media writes that the White House shows ANY Fear at ALL...

It finally dawned on me that when I am glad they're SCARED, I'm being Duped again..

It's a Charade, and it's time someone admitted it..

They did it, they got all the money, the guns, and the Judges, AND they rub our faces in it on a daily basis.

[Cobalt-60]

73. Why can't we just call them liars?

No one outside the backwash believes a word they say.
We have tons of iron clad proof that they lie on a regular basis.
They're so open about it they laugh at people later for believing them.
So,
what's the problem with pointing out that we're dealing with liars.
So not one word they say is to be believed.
Are they all afraid Junior will cry?

[Lasher]

74. Betrayus has already been rubber stamping the whitewash

He was chosen to do just that. Know what they're calling the surge strategy? The Petraeus Doctrine, that's what. That just might be an indication that the General was predisposed to cheerlead for the escalation.

Here's what Paul Krugman said about a September 2004 article that Betrayus wrote for the WaPo: "General Petraeus, without saying anything falsifiable, conveyed the totally misleading impression, highly convenient for his political masters, that victory was just around the corner."

In June this year Betrayus said there were "astonishing signs of normalcy" in Baghdad. As of August 7 the power has been on there an average of 4.9 hours a day. Estimated prewar level was 16 to 24 hours. The best post-invasion monthly average was 16.4 hours in March 2004.

http://www.brookings.edu/fp/saban/iraq/index.pdf

He has already said he expects the surge will have to continue beyond September, and that we may need to keep our soldiers could be in Iraq another 10 years.

[deacon]

75. It officially makes it not worth waiting for.

It will have no credibility.

[flying_wahini]

77. Betraeus will sign off saying he needs more troops & propose a draft.

then B* will say he will have to give the Generals "what they need"

Mark my words, the draft cometh.

B & co. can't stay there without one. period. they didn't build all those airbases for nothing--- and the mideast plan is
SO important that they will let people bitch. they haven't spent all this time and money to leave now...... they need fresh bodies and know can't stay without compulsory service. Yes, It will be unpopular.
but he's not running again and he doesn't really mind throwing his
own party under the bus.... it's the cost of doing business...
It for sure will light a fire under all the complacent and lazy citizens.
and if Rangel has anything to do with it, they will spread the pain
around more fairly... I predict a birthday lottery- no deferments.
Well, maybe the twins won't go....... but the rest of us......hmmmmm
yes, there will be marching in the streets..... do you think the Bushites
care? Hell no they don't care......

sorry to ramble....... had to get that off my chest.

[mdmc]

78. lets see if the internets will get the word out

Get to it DU. Lets make sure this is on the tv soon. :kick:R

[Skittles]

79. not surprised

Petraeus is a bush whore - bush canned the real generals