Petraeus Crocker Report As Expected

Poor General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker. Both men are honorable professionals with impressive credentials who have been called upon to do the impossible. They are expected to somehow repair the mess that Bush has made of the Iraq war.

No one can properly fulfill such a fools mission. What is broken beyond repair can not be repaired. At least not in a way that is acceptable to one George W. Bush.

It’s unfortunate that good men have been thrust into such roles.

General David Petraeus is widely thought of as one of the smartest and most able commanders in the US military.

Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker is a long time diplomat who has years of hands on experience in living in and dealing with some of the world’s hot spots. He cut his diplomatic teeth in Beirut during the civil war period in Lebanon.

You can imagine the tension that both men faced as they prepared for their testimony before Congress on conditions in Iraq. I’m sure both are men of integrity. They want to give an accurate report. Yet their master is one George W. Bush. Bush has a history of getting rid of those who voice opinions that he doesn’t want to hear.

As it turns out both men seemed to have toed the Bush line. Petraeus says objectives in Iraq are largely being met. As widely leaked in the days prior to the testimony he says that more time is needed but that a limited draw down of US troops can probably get the US back to pre surge levels by July 2008. Isn’t that great? By July of 2008 we can get back to where we were over a year ago. What progress.

Crocker says that results have been uneven but that US objectives in Iraq still have a chance of being met.

Both men’s reporting is far more optimistic that that of independent sources that focus on the way Iraqis are now forced to live. According to these reports the life of the average Iraqi is now a living hell with no end in sight. 

For now Petraeus and Crocker still have their jobs. No doubt that the Bush administration will get the additional time that it wanted and Iraq will be further destroyed as a functioning nation as the violence continues.

But at what cost in Iraqi and American lives and for what purpose other than to play macho man?

It is sad to see good men used in the way that Bush uses good men. I doubt that either Petraeus or Crocker will be too happy with themselves on their flights back to Iraq.

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