The General and the Pols

The top US commander in Iraq went to Capitol Hill Tuesday. Gen. David Petraeus made the presence of US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker almost an afterthought. It was Petraeus members of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees wanted to talk to. And talk they did. The general was questioned by the three people who'd be his next boss (assuming he stays on the job that long). However, we know what the politicians got out of yesterday's hearings. The question is, what did the American people get?

The short answer is, not much. Petraeus says troop withdrawals beyond those promised through July would threaten the fragile gains made since the troop surge. He says security in Iraq is getting better, and the Iraqi military is holding its own, sort of. As for the political reconciliation the surge was supposed to buy, even Petraeus couldn't say that's happening. 

So here's the Petraeus plan, in a nutshell. The 20,000 extra troops used for the surge are pulled out by July. After that, a 45 day period of "evaluation". Then, a period of assessment whose length is still to be determined. In plain English, no substantial troop withdrawals while George W. Bush is still president. Not even a timetable for troop withdrawal this year. 

This is the endless war that so many Americans fear. It is unacceptable, yet Petraeus and his sponsor, Bush, seem bent on ramming it down our throats. Democrats in Congress have yet to figure out how to stop the war machine without looking like spineless capitulators. So, our emboldened president will go before the American people tomorrow, and most likely parrot the same tired lines Petraeus is using.

And what constitutes success in Iraq will remain a mystery.