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General in Iraq Awaits November Assessment
For months September has been cast as a pivotal time for determining the course of the war in Iraq, yet a top general now says a solid judgment on the U.S. troop buildup there may not come until November.
Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno told he would need beyond September to tell if improvements in Iraq represent long-term trends.
"In order to do a good assessment I need at least until November," said Odierno, a deputy to Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. military commander in Iraq.
Odierno briefed Pentagon reporters by video link from Baghdad. Also on Wednesday, Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, the top U.S. diplomat in Iraq, participated in a classified question-and-answer session with lawmakers, also via satellite. Crocker later testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Throughout the sessions, the officials warned that making strides toward security and political goals could take more time than first thought.
"If there is one word, I would use to sum up the atmosphere in Iraq - on the streets, in the countryside, in the neighborhoods and at the national level - that word would be 'fear,'" Crocker said. "For Iraq to move forward at any level, that fear is going to have to be replaced with some level of trust and confidence and that is what the effort at the national level is about."
Most lawmakers have hoped that Iraq would show more signs of stability this summer, long before the 2008 U.S. elections. Republicans in particular have thought that, if substantial gains could not be found by September, then President Bush would have to rethink his military strategy, which relies on 158,000 U.S. troops.
"I'm not optimistic," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said of the September assessment. She spoke after attending a classified briefing at the Pentagon by Petraeus and Crocker.
The Bush administration has tried to minimize the importance of the progress report due in September, trying to make clear it is not the final judgment. Beyond that, the administration is saying U.S. forces will play a role in Iraq through the end of Bush's presidency, in January 2009.
Some 50 House members and 40 senators took buses to the Pentagon for separate question-and-answer sessions with Crocker and Petraeus. Lawmakers said they were told that the political process was moving slowly and that it would be very difficult for Iraq to meet its 18 reform goals in the next 45 days.
In his Senate testimony, Crocker played down the importance of meeting major changes right away and said less ambitious goals, such as restoring electricity to a neighborhood, can be just as beneficial. He also pointed toward political headway at the local level and said agreements there may inspire further cooperation among sects.
The much-cited benchmarks "do not serve as reliable measures of everything that is important - Iraqi attitudes toward each other and their willingness to work toward political reconciliation," he said.
Crocker also warned against a withdrawal of U.S. troops. He contended that such a move could increase sectarian attacks and create a "comfortable operating environment" for al-Qaida.
Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press.
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Show All"For Iraq to move forward at any level, that fear is going to have to be replaced with some level of trust and confidence and that is what the effort at the national level is about."
How about eliminating the fear that we are there to steal their oil, kill their people and take over their country in a crusade to make them an Xtian/Jewish American client state?
"Throughout the sessions officials warned that making strides toward security and political goals could take more time than first thought".
Oh really??, jee wizzikers, well could luck with that guys!
AHOLES!!!
"Beyond that, the administration is saying U.S. forces will play a role in Iraq through the end of Bush's presidency, in January 2009."
Can someone please translate the above sentence in simple English? What kind of role are they going to play other than occupation forces? Does that also mean killing Americans and Iraqi will continue for another long one and a half years? With this straight answer coming from the warlords, Democraps can now rest and spare us the show of masquerading as opposition party.
Beyond that, means beyond the September report, which is now pushed to November. But if Bush/Cheney are going to play their roles as war criminals until January 2009, then what's the significance of waiting for the October report?
"The much-cited benchmarks 'do not serve as reliable measures of everything that is important - Iraqi attitudes toward each other and their willingness to work toward political reconciliation,' he said."
If, as Ambassador Crocker states, the benchmarks "do not serve as reliable measures of everything that is important," why are we using trivia to measure progress in Iraq?
That was supposed to be "good luck with that guys". This article made me so angry I couldn't type.
The level of denial, deception, nontruth and outright bullshit of this administration astounds me. And what is even more appaling is the pandering press who, in all seriousness, think they are asking tough questions.
The occupation in Iraq isn't going to end any time soon. Representatives from the Pentagon and Congress recently had a hearing where they discussed replacing Hummers with more advanced armored vehicles. These replacements would essentially reduce casualties when hit by roadside bombs.
At this point in time, this new military equipment is only on paper and the design needs improvement. The Pentagon is suppose to report back to Congress (within 10 days) to let them know how long it will take just to replace the Hummers that are now being used in Iraq. They were talking $$$billions for this project.
The General should get his lazy ass out
in the street and quit hiding in the green zone, then make his bush directed report.
Have a happy surge!
What is the tipping point? How many lraqis have to die before we are victorious? How many lraqis have to die before Bush is declared a War criminal? lf there is no one left to vote is it still considered a democracy? How many angels can dance on the head of a pinhead?
I don't know about the tipping point, but they say that on the Niagra river above the falls there is a "point of no return" That's where it doesn't matter whether you are in a 10 foot aluminum Jon boat with a K-mart paddle or the "Miss Budweiser" you are going over the falls. That's where Bush is with Iraq.