The Petraeus Report

Those of you paying attention to the news lately have heard that today was the much-anticipated report to Congress from Four Star General David Petraeus, the architect of the current troop surge and current leader of armed forces in Iraq. The report was scheduled months ago to inform the Congressmen of the progress being made by the additional troops and to determine the necessity of maintaining the current troop level. General Petraeus informed the panel that much progress has been made as a result of the surge, and all of the extra troops will be able to come home by next July without any loss of progress.

As for the rest of the troops, he added, "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." That answer didn't suit the Democrats on the panel, as they view it as being more of the same, but why would we honestly give the enemy a schedule of our troop withdrawal? This has NEVER been done before and only admits defeat in a war that is still possible to be won. Do I believe we have made mistakes in Iraq? Sure. Do I believe we should come home just because we messed up on our first try? Absolutely not. We have changed our strategy to a winning one, brought in some new military leaders with new perspectives, and the results are showing. Last August in Anbar province alone, there were 1350 attacks on troops and civilians, while in August of this year, that number is down to just over 200. This comes as Iraqi civilians are turning their support from Al Qaeda to the Iraqi Army and police forces.


The morning of the report, a liberal website, www.MoveOn.org posted a full-page ad in the New York Times condemning the general's report before it was given, labeling him "General Betray Us." Cute, isn't it? Democratic leaders of the panel were almost as bad with their opening statements, almost telling the general there was not much he could say to change their opinions on the war. After the report several other Democratic politicians came forward doubting whether the report was actually of the general's opinion or that of the White House. Is it a possiblity that they both share the same opinion? Is it a possibility that we can possibly be winning the war in Iraq? No, it can't be, not for them, because they need us to lose this war to win their elections next year, and victory is NOT an option.

I guess all I am saying for those of you who don't know what to believe on the issue is to listen to the people who know what they are talking about. Should we listen to the media and the politicians who sit in their comfy offices five days a week, or should we listen to the stories of the soldiers on the ground? I have yet to speak to a soldier who regrets his decision to serve his country in Iraq, because they saw the good that was happening over there. If you just watch the news stories of the bombs going off every day in Iraq, then of course you are going to believe we should leave. But if you search long and hard for the media outlets who are focusing on the good things being done over there, your opinion on the matter might just change.