General Petraeus against rapid pullout in Afghanistan, might oppose withdrawal of troops next summer

[Better Believe It]

Petraeus Opposes a Rapid Pullout in Afghanistan
By DEXTER FILKINS
August 15, 2010

KABUL, Afghanistan — Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander of American and NATO forces, began a campaign on Sunday to convince an increasingly skeptical public that the American-led coalition can still succeed here despite months of setbacks, saying he had not come to Afghanistan to preside over a “graceful exit.”

In an hourlong interview with The New York Times, the general argued against any precipitous withdrawal of forces in July 2011, the date set by President Obama to begin at least a gradual reduction of the 100,000 troops on the ground. General Petraeus said that it was only in the last few weeks that the war plan had been fine-tuned and given the resources that it required. “For the first time,” he said, “we will have what we have been working to put in place for the last year and a half.”

In another in a series of interviews, on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” General Petraeus even appeared to leave open the possibility that he would recommend against any withdrawal of American forces next summer.

“Certainly, yes,” he said when the show’s host, David Gregory, asked him if, depending on how the war was proceeding, he might tell the president that a drawdown should be delayed. “The president and I sat down in the Oval Office, and he expressed very clearly that what he wants from me is my best professional military advice.”

“The president didn’t send me over here to seek a graceful exit,” General Petraeus said at his office at NATO headquarters in downtown Kabul. “My marching orders are to do all that is humanly possible to help us achieve our objectives.”

Read the full article at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/16/world/asia/16petraeus.html?ref=world


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Gen. Petraeus Goes to Media War
by Norman Solomon
August 16, 2010

It's already history. In mid-August 2010, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan launched a huge media campaign to prevent any substantial withdrawal of military forces the next summer.
The morning after Gen. David Petraeus appeared in a Sunday interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" to promote the war effort, the New York Times front-paged news of its own interview with him -- reporting that the general "suggested that he would resist any large-scale or rapid withdrawal of American forces."

In fact, the general signaled that he might oppose any reduction of U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan a year from now. During the NBC interview, the Times noted, "Petraeus even appeared to leave open the possibility that he would recommend against any withdrawal of American forces next summer."

On Monday, the Washington Post also published the twisty line of the suddenly interview-hungry Petraeus, reporting that "he remains supportive of President Obama's decision to begin withdrawing troops next July, but he said it is far too soon to determine the size of the drawdown." The newspaper observed that "the general's presence in Kabul, as opposed to the U.S. Central Command headquarters in Tampa, could make him a far more forceful voice for attenuating the drawdown if he chooses to make that case."

"Attenuating the drawdown" means keeping the war machinery at full throttle.

Let's be clear about what's happening here. The top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, with the evident approval of the White House, has launched a fierce media blitz to cripple the policy option of any significant military withdrawal a year from now. Riding high in what is supposed to be a civilian-run military, Petraeus is engaging in strategic media operations to manipulate what should be a democratic process on matters of war and peace.

Who bears ultimate responsibility for this manipulative, anti-democratic behavior? The commander in chief.

Please read the full article at:

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/08/16

[MadHound]

1. He's providing cover, that's all,

Nobody in this administration is in favor of a rapid pull out. If they were, it would already be happening. Instead, Obama doubled down, then doubled down again.

[Better Believe It]

2. It looks like you're right.