Bush Sneaks into Iraq-Nam to Begin Petraeus Report Spin

Next week, on the sixth anniversary of the Al-Qaeda murders in Manhattan, Virginia and Pennsylvania, General David Petraeus will issue his report on the results of the American military surge in Iraq-Nam. Shortly thereafter, the White House will demand that Congress approve the $50 billion it has requested in emergency war funding. The official line will be that the surge needs another six months or so to build on its success, and after that, American troops might be allowed to start withdrawing. Re-runs of “Gilligan’s Island” have more suspense than the script the White House is following here.

The chief fib that Mr. Bush needed to plant in the media over the Labor Day week-end was that “When we begin to draw down troops from Iraq, it will be from a position of strength and success, not from a position of fear and failure. To do otherwise would embolden our enemies and make it more likely that they would attack us at home.” In other words, winning in Iraq-Nam will help America kill off Al-Qaeda. That’s never been true, and when September 11 arrives next week, Usama bin Laden will, in all likelihood, still be a free man because Mr. Bush doesn’t know where America’s enemies really are.

America’s second-in-command in Iraq-Nam, Lieutenant-General Raymond Odierno, is also out spinning next week’s report. “I think the next three to four months is critical,” he told Reuters yesterday. Well, if that’s the case, surely no patriotic American would deny the need to support the troops through New Year’s Day. In November 2006, Americans voted for a new strategy in Iraq (a great many for an immediate withdrawal). Almost a year later, it is more of the same -- “we need a little more time.”

The surge was supposed to increase security, and for the Pentagon, that has meant a quantitative decrease in the number of attacks on US personnel, a decline in American casualties, and a drop in the number of dead Iraq-Namese. The official figures show that more troops deployed has resulted in fewer attacks. Meanwhile, US personnel Killed In Action totaled 83 in August, 79 in July, 101 in June, 126 in May, 104 in April, 81 in March and in February. While the trend may argue for the surge, compared to the same months in 2006, the KIA rate is higher in each and every month of 2007. As for the number of dead Iraq-Namese, the Associate Press reports, “Police reports show at least 1,809 civilians were killed across the country last month compared with 1,760 in July. Only May was deadlier this year with 1,901 killed in political or sectarian violence.”

The White House is trying to play out the clock. There are 503 more days in the Bush presidency, and the administration is determined to have combat troops in Iraq-Nam fighting for the Green Zone government up until Marine 1 helicopters the 43rd president out of town. Then, any clearheaded successor can be blamed for “Losing Iraq,” when the inevitable withdrawal of troops occurs. The spin of the Petraeus Report and General Odierno’s comments have already bought another 180 days for this failed presidency’s failing policy. Another 320 and they’re home free.

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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