About a week ago I highlighted an important story in Newsweek that explained how completely different the discussion about Iraq in America is from the reality on the ground. Congress may be debating (kind of) how to end the war, but over in Baghdad, Gen. Petraeus is embedding our troops with the Iraqi citizenry and “putting down roots.” We’re in it for the long haul, said Newsweek. Petraeus is trying to fight the war over again from scratch.
But today the Guardian reports that Petraeus and the Brainy Bunch are giving themselves six months to turn things around.
An elite team of officers advising the US commander, General David Petraeus, in Baghdad has concluded that they have six months to win the war in Iraq – or face a Vietnam-style collapse in political and public support that could force the military into a hasty retreat.
This could mean several things. (1) That Petraeus really does have a long-term strategy but he will scrap it if there is no discernable progress in the next six months. (2) This Guardian story is just a bit of masterful PR by the Army to show that the new commander is aware of the war’s failing support back home, and the long-term strategy moves forward unimpeded. Or (3) one of the two stories is wrong.
I’m guessing some combination of all three. But Petraeus — who was basically set up to fail — appears to have an even more impossible situation.
