Petraeus, Politics, and Promises

I could begin this blog with "Not to sound like a skeptic, but . . ." There's really no reason to do that any more. I am skeptical about nearly everything that gets presented to the taxpaying citizens of this country. I read an interesting article in the Opinion Journal by Karl Rove about health care. He tells us how our health should not be in the hands of the government, and yet our government continues to tell us that our safety and well being can be entrusted nowhere else. What gives? I personally think the recent unannounced visit to Iraq by our President, just days before this big September report, was interesting at the very least and not at all coincidental with the meeting in Australia. I think there was a last minute effort on the President's part to compare notes and "reassure." Before General Petraeus even began to give his report, most people were decided in their predetermined, partisan reaction. Democrats called him a mouth piece and the republicans called him a warrior or soldier, until the ad from moveon.org. Then, the republicans were up in arms, making reference to the fact that this ad was a campaign to "kill the messenger." Well, republicans, which is it? How can he be a messenger without being a mouth piece? President Bush is the Commander in Chief, so technically, even generals, especially generals answer to him, and we have a history of the Iraq war to prove it. When generals disagree, it's time to come home and retire, because the war will go on, by order of the Commander in Chief.
So, now we have some vague promise of troop reduction in Iraq in the "not so distant" future. Will the troops be needed in Iran, by then? I do agree with the fact that we cannot announce a departure date, and I applaud the fact that President Bush finally has made a comparison to Viet Nam, with the pull out date and Saigon. Actually there are many parallels between Iraq and Viet Nam, so it's about time he realizes what he's done!
Do I think there will be a troop down sizing? Depends on the politics; not the war, at the time. Iraq made three of 18 benchmarks in July, then suddenly by September there are supposed to be 9 of the 18 accomplished. So, it only took two months to accomplish 6 benchmarks that have been out of reach for over 4 years? Really! If the Iraqi government has accomplished all those benchmarks due to the troop surge, then their government, by definition, would be a military state; armed and protected by another government's military, as their own militia continues to fail.
The simple truth is just painful. We can't just announce a departure date and we really don't have the manpower or the money to continue. Our President has changed his terminology from "victory" to "success." This war is not the will of the people that are stuck paying for it while their children die in it. Many of us were never for this horribly, misguided mess in Iraq, but I for one, realize; there is no way to get our troops home safely by making an announcement of a pull out. That fact was always unaffected by General Petraeus's report.
For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. Torah of Holy Scripture