Petraeus

(Best Syndication) General David Petraeus is preparing for an end to the recent troop surge and a reduction of US forces in Iraq. Although the top US commander in Iraq cautioned against a quick or significant withdrawal, he did say that the American presence in Iraq will be “a good bit smaller” next summer.

The announcement came in advance of his September report to Congress. The general is expected to present a mixed bag of results for the troop surge. The report, due by September 15th, will likely highlight military success but will present poor results in the political arena. It was hoped legislation would be passed by Iraqi lawmakers to end the de-Baathification. There has been no law passed to share the oil revenue with the Sunnis either.

Senator John McCain summed it up. "The good news in Iraq is militarily we're winning. The bad is the Maliki government is not functioning effectively. It's some bad news but it doesn't destroy what is happening on the ground."

There has been progress made in securing Baghdad and Anbar province, according to a report from Reuters. Presidential candidate Barrack Obama has called for a reduction in troop levels because of the lack of political progress.

Obama said "we've made almost no progress" on reconciliation in Iraq. At a speech in Iowa, the Illinois Senator said it is time to begin a drawdown of U.S. troops to "send a clear signal to the Iraqi factions that we're not going to be there forever."

Deborah Charles of Reuters says General Petraeus and the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, will testify publicly and privately before Congress just prior to the release of a report. The actual written version of the report will be prepared by the Whitehouse.

Vice President Dick Cheney said earlier this month that it is still tough going in Iraq but that "tremendous changes have taken place… And this is no time to lose heart and make a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq, as some in Congress are demanding.”

Americans have grown weary of claims of success in Iraq, according to a CNN poll. Only 43 percent of Americans trust Petraeus to report what is really going on in Iraq. Even more remarkable is that 72 percent of those polled would not change their view on the war “regardless of what Petraeus says”.

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By Tom Madison
Best Syndication News Writer