General Petraeus
In September, General David Petraeus will be the man who gives “candid advice” to Bush and America about the war.
General Petraeus gave an indication to The Times of London last month, when he said: “September is a deadline for a report, not a deadline for a change in policy.”
Three years ago, Newsweek ran an article entitled “Can This Man Save Iraq?” The article lauded General Petraeus’ pacification of Mosul as “a textbook case of doing counterinsurgency the right way.” Four months later, the police chief installed by Petraeus defected to the insurgents, along with most of the Sunni members of the police force. According to the Pentagon’s most recent report Mosul, population 1.7 million, is an insurgent stronghold.
In late September 2004, Petraeus wrote in The Washington Post: “Training is on track and increasing in capacity.” Prior to the 2004, presidential election Petraeus lauded the increased prowess of the Iraqi fighting forces. Recently, after being pressed in a Pentagon briefing, we learned from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Peter Pace that the number of Iraqi battalions operating independently has suddenly fallen from 10 in March to a mere six.
“The Occupation of Iraq,” is an authoritative chronicle of post war Iraq, by Ali Allawi. He was the first civilian defense minister of postwar Iraq and has been an adviser to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Mr. Allawi writes that the embezzlement of the Iraqi Army’s $1.2 billion arms procurement budget was happening “under the very noses” of the Security Transition Command run by General Petraeus.
Yesterday, the Government Accountability Office reported the Pentagon lost track of 190,000 weapons. The AK-47 rifles and pistols were handed over to Iraqi security forces in 2004 and 2005. The GAO report raises concerns that the weapons had fallen into the hands of Iraqi insurgents. At the time, General Petraeus was in charge of training Iraqi security forces.
Furthermore, Mr. Allawi insists that under Petraeus the reality for the Iraqi Army was inoperable helicopters, flimsy bulletproof vests and toy helmets. The huge sums that might have helped the Iraqis stand up were instead “handed over to unscrupulous adventurers and former pizza parlor operators.”
Bush’s claim of seeking “candid” advice, is nonsense. He sent a different message before the war, by pushing aside General Eric Shinseki, the general who dared tell Congress the truth that hundreds of thousands of American troops would be needed to secure Iraq. The message was sent again, when Generals John Abizaid and George Casey were force out after they disagreed with the surge.
General Petraeus gave an indication to The Times of London last month, when he said: “September is a deadline for a report, not a deadline for a change in policy.”
Three years ago, Newsweek ran an article entitled “Can This Man Save Iraq?” The article lauded General Petraeus’ pacification of Mosul as “a textbook case of doing counterinsurgency the right way.” Four months later, the police chief installed by Petraeus defected to the insurgents, along with most of the Sunni members of the police force. According to the Pentagon’s most recent report Mosul, population 1.7 million, is an insurgent stronghold.
In late September 2004, Petraeus wrote in The Washington Post: “Training is on track and increasing in capacity.” Prior to the 2004, presidential election Petraeus lauded the increased prowess of the Iraqi fighting forces. Recently, after being pressed in a Pentagon briefing, we learned from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Peter Pace that the number of Iraqi battalions operating independently has suddenly fallen from 10 in March to a mere six.
“The Occupation of Iraq,” is an authoritative chronicle of post war Iraq, by Ali Allawi. He was the first civilian defense minister of postwar Iraq and has been an adviser to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Mr. Allawi writes that the embezzlement of the Iraqi Army’s $1.2 billion arms procurement budget was happening “under the very noses” of the Security Transition Command run by General Petraeus.
Yesterday, the Government Accountability Office reported the Pentagon lost track of 190,000 weapons. The AK-47 rifles and pistols were handed over to Iraqi security forces in 2004 and 2005. The GAO report raises concerns that the weapons had fallen into the hands of Iraqi insurgents. At the time, General Petraeus was in charge of training Iraqi security forces.
Furthermore, Mr. Allawi insists that under Petraeus the reality for the Iraqi Army was inoperable helicopters, flimsy bulletproof vests and toy helmets. The huge sums that might have helped the Iraqis stand up were instead “handed over to unscrupulous adventurers and former pizza parlor operators.”
Bush’s claim of seeking “candid” advice, is nonsense. He sent a different message before the war, by pushing aside General Eric Shinseki, the general who dared tell Congress the truth that hundreds of thousands of American troops would be needed to secure Iraq. The message was sent again, when Generals John Abizaid and George Casey were force out after they disagreed with the surge.
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