Petraeus Falsely Claims That Six Months Ago, ‘No One Would Have Forecast’ Anbar’s Success

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/09/10/petraeus-anbar-six/

Petraeus Falsely Claims That Six Months Ago, ‘No One Would Have Forecast’ Anbar’s Success

Today in his testimony to the House, Gen. David Petraeus cited the reduced violence in the Anbar province as evidence that President Bush’s “surge” is working. He added that it would be “premature” to withdraw U.S. troops now, because in January, “no one would have dared to forecast that Anbar Province would have been transformed the way it has in the past 6 months“:

However, in my professional judgment, it would be premature to make recommendations on the pace of such reductions at this time. In fact, our experience in Iraq has repeatedly shown that projecting too far into the future is not just difficult, it can be misleading and even hazardous. The events of the past six months underscore that point. When I testified in January, for example, no one would have dared to forecast that Anbar Province would have been transformed the way it has in the past 6 months.

Watch it at link~

Yet in testimony to the Senate Armed Services Commitee six months ago — just two weeks after Bush first announced his escalation plans — Petraeus admitted that in Anbar, there already appeared “to be a trend in the positive direction where sheikhs are stepping up”:

You’ve seen it, I know, in Anbar province, where it has sort of gone back and forth. And right now there appears to be a trend in the positive direction where sheikhs are stepping up and they do want to be affiliated with and supported by the U.S. Marines and Army forces who are in Anbar province. That was not the case as little as perhaps six months ago, or certainly before that. (Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, 1/23/07)

Bush’s “surge” is not responsible for progress in Anbar. The Sunni sheik who forged the alliance with the Americans “traced the decision to fight al-Qaeda to Sept. 14, 2006, long before the new Bush strategy.” Nevertheless, the Bush administration “dispatched another 4,000 U.S. troops to Anbar to exploit the situation.”

Last week, CNN correspondent Michael Ware also noted that the Sunni insurgency in Anbar offered to work with U.S. troops — not the Iraqi government — to fight al Qaeda in 2003, but the United States rejected the offer. Only “after four years of bloodshed” was the United States “finally ready to accept those terms.”

[C_U_L8R]

1. Anbar? Isn't Bagdad the big problem?

[Mutineer]

2. I thought all the provinces were problems.

They just happened to have unexpected success in one.

[babylonsister]

7. Anbar has been profiled recently because it's just so darn peaceful there,

doncha know? That's where * landed for his latest photo-op last week because Baghdad is way too dangerous.

[Mythsaje]

3. They're running around putting out brushfires...

Half their buckets are filled with water, the other half with gasoline.

[Babsbrain]

5. that would be 'bushfires' n/t

[babylonsister]

8. Phew-that's a visual that's doesn't seem so farfetched. nt

[Mythsaje]

9. Just doin' my job, ma'am...

;)

[musette_sf]

4. "no one would have forecast":

just a variation on Condi's line of "No one could have anticipated..."

still using the same old tired-@ss script.

[Ino]

6. "No one could have anticipated that the surge would actually work"??

Is that what he's saying? :rofl:

[Bitwit1234]

10. Here we have two grown men filling the air with lies.

What in the world would we do to our children if they told half these lies?

[simmonsj811]

11. DID ANYONE ON

THE PANAL POINTED THIS OUT TO PETRAEUS???
:think: :boring:

[Minimus]

12. Four US troops were killed in Anbar last week!

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Seven U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq, including four in the western province of Anbar, where gains in security were hailed this week by U.S. President George W. Bush during an unannounced visit to the desert region.

The U.S. military said on Friday that four Marines were killed in the vast province on Thursday while conducting combat operations. It gave no further details on one of the deadliest days for troops in Anbar in months.


http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL0253573020070907?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

[babylonsister]

13. I guess it's not so safe after all. But really, where is? nt