TO
First post: 1/15/2008
Last post: 7/24/2008 Total posts: 6128 |
Replying to: There can be no honest & defensible assertion that the the change in strategy authored by Petraeus, along with the increase in troop numbers, has made a tremendously positive difference in Iraq. AQI has been almost eliminated. Regardless of when the "Anbar Awakening" began, the turning of the Iraqi people against AQI & other islamist groups continued throughout the surge and is part of the Petraeus counterinsurgency strategy. It worked. Petraeus & the troops deserve full credit for its implementation. McCain was right about the surge/change in strategy from the start, & Obama was wrong & remains wrong, unwilling to correct his errors.
Posted by WH "It is your opinion that the surge troops were needed to sustain the awakening (if that's your claim). The awakening was doing well pre-surge, so it's just an opinion, not proven." |
http://www.brookings.edu/saban/~/media/Files/Centers/Saban/Iraq%20Index/index.pdf
It is not opinion that it worked. It is not opinion that he authored the plan.
What would be opinion is if Obama had attempted to answer the question: "What would have happened if the Surge had not been implemented?" He was smart enough to say "I don't know" rather than admit that his plan for retreat in 2006 would have resulted in the defeat of the Nation that he seems to desire.
Opinion: If Obama's plan for Immediate Retreat had been implemented in 2006 or 2007 rather than the Petraeus Plan:
Al-Qaeda and Iranian Backed Special Groups would be fighting over the remnants of Iraq today. Perhaps they would be working out a truce but I doubt they'd be at that stage yet.
The Kurds would be entrenched in the North, waiting out the winner in the South, and hoping that the Turks did not invade based on US assurances that We would use our best diplomacy to assure the Turks that no ill will would come out of the future Kurdistan or perhaps we would encourage the Turks to annex the Kurd territory.
But THAT is Opinion.
FACT: The Petraeus Plan is directly responsible for our current Sustained Successes in Iraq.
FACT: Obama has opposed the Petraeus Plan from proposal through demonstrated Sustained Success.
FACT: McCain called for the Surge when Rumsfeld and Bush still opposed it.
FACT: McCain Called for the Surge in opposition to Bush and Rumsfeld.
FACT: Obama has opposed the Surge from proposal through Sustained Success.
FACT: Petraeus Plan was implemented.
FACT: Violence is down for a sustained period of time since Petreaus' Plan was implemented.
FACT: If 30,000 troops had nothing to do with success in Iraq, then 20,000 would do nothing to change the reality in Afghanistan.
FACT: The Anbar Awakening councils were a change of attitude in 2006.
FACT: Petraeus changed the change in attitude to a concrete program of action against islamist Al Qaeda in Al Anbar.
FACT: Violence peaked post the change in Attitude of the Anbar Awakening and when that attitude was changed into actions by Petraeus.
FACT: Obama OPPOSED the Winning Strategy in Iraq. (Petraeus Plan)
FACT: Obama has ZERO Military Experience.
FACT: McCain called for the Surge in opposition to his party.
OPINION: Obama is WRONG for America because
FACT: He has a proven record of being WRONG on Iraq and has no demonstrable record that he will make the right decisions for the right reasons on Afghanistan.
The facts clearly demonstrate that the Petraeus Plan has brought us Sustained Successes despite the vehement opposition to allowing it by Obama, Reid, Pelosi & Hillary.
One of the best and clearest evidences of this is the graph on page 7 here: http://www.brookings.edu/saban/~/media/Files/Centers/Saban/Iraq%20Index/index.pdf
It clearly demonstrates that violence (in the form of enemy initiated attacks) steadily climbed through its peak in the week of 22 June 2007 and then fell off a cliff from approximately 1550 attacks that week to approximately 230 attacks in the most recently reported week.
In those drastic reductions of violence, there are two spikes that stand out: the week of 11 Sep 2007 and the week of 25 March 2008, when the enemy obliged the left side of the aisle in support of their anti-Petraeus rhetoric while he testified to Congress.
At this point, it would be good to look back at the anti-Petraeus arguments:
Winter 2007: "The Surge Can't work. It's just putting more targets out for the enemy. There is no Al-Qaeda in Iraq."
WOTN response: "There is no such thing as having too many friends shooting at the enemy."
The enemy we face is brutal and must be stopped. There are clear links between Zarqawi, al-Maysara, al-Masari and others to Al-Qaeda. Each are foreign fighters that have been instructors in Al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan pre-9/11
Spring 2007: "The Surge Isn't working: Violence is up."
WOTN response: The Troops aren't there yet and the General is aggressively targeting the enemy.
Summer 2007: "The Surge Isn't working: Violence is up."
WOTN response: The Troops are just getting on the ground. The General is aggressivley targeting the enemy.
Fall 2007: "The Surge didn't work: Decreased Violence is temporary."
WOTN response: The facts demonstrate greatly reduced violence in many parts of Iraq. Time will demonstrate if the trend holds.
11 Sep 2007: General Petraeus testifies to Congress. Obama gives him a campaign speech. Moveon,org runs "betrayus" ad.
The Senate Passes a resolution condemning the attack on the General. Obama and Hillary refuse to support the resolution (effectively demonstrating support of the slander).
Winter 2008: "The Surge didn't work: Iraqi Parliament hasn't met Congressional demands."
WOTN response: Iraqi Politicians continue to risk their lives, just to go to work every day. If two parties in Congress can't agree on simple issues, why do they expect multiple parties in Iraq to agree on contentious issues and who cares about "Carbon Emissions" when Iraq is still securing their democracy!
Spring 2008: "The Surge didn't work: Iraqi Parliament has only met a few of Congressional demands."
WOTN response: Iraqi Parliament was hammering out rules for the Regional Elections while Congress investigated why a Baseball Pitchers butt was bleeding in an elevator 10 years ago and who was at MLB pool party 10 years ago, instead of addressing FISA legislation. What Hypocrisy!
Summer 2008: "Sure Violence is down and the Iraqi Parliament has met most of the Congressional Demands, but it had nothing to do with the Petraeus Plan the left opposed."
WOTN Response: IF the left side of the aisle had not attempted to play politics and to endorse the slander of a non-political General in September 2007, they would not be in this political dilemna now.
Facts are facts, regardless of whether they are recognized or not. Facts do not change based on a "point of view." Conclusions, Opinions and the meaning of facts may change based on a point of view, but the facts remain the same.
The facts demonstrate that Iraq is safer, freer, more secure, and more democratic today than it has been in decades.
The facts demonstrate that all metrics of violence have been dramatically reduced from their peaks which correspond to the arrival of the last "Surge Brigades" in Iraq.
The facts demonstrate that The Petraeus Plan was called for by McCain prior to approval and opposed by Obama steadfastly through the point it was proven to have attained Sustained Successes. And that is THE reason why the left side of the aisle continues to attempt to deny it is the reason for Success in Iraq.
But it is easy to see that the left recognizes that the Petraeus Plan has worked: They are calling for it to be mirrored in Afghanistan. They have confirmed Petraeus to take command at CentCom. (95-2) They have confirmed General Odierno (Petraeus' recommendation and #2) to take over in Iraq.
IF the left did NOT think the Petraeus Plan and the Surge had worked, it would be morally wrong for them to call for it to be used in Afghanistan.
-"We" did not execute the plan. General Petraeus and the Commanders that report to him and the Soldiers on the Ground executed the plan, despite opposition from the left side of the aisle. American Veterans SUPPORTED the plan and the left side of the aisle vehemently opposed it.
-The left is attempting all kinds of spin to remove the responsibility of a Winning Strategy from the person who Wrote it, Requested it, and Implemented it, but the facts, no matter how they are sliced simply support the Fact that the Petraeus Plan worked.
Infrastructure in Iraq is beyond what it was in 2002. (Energy production, oil production, water supply, sewage, telephones, cars)
Freedom is well beyond their peers in the region as well as all of their past. (newspapers, freedom of speech, freedom to peaceably assemble, tv stations, radio stations, elections)
Violence is down dramatically from any point in the past years and decades with the drop in violence occuring at the point that the Surge Brigades began operating. (Enemy Initiated Attacks, Attacks on Iraqi Police, Attacks on Journalists, Attacks on Iraqi Army, Attacks on Coalition Forces, Attacks on Civilians, IED's, Assassinations, Sniper Attacks, etc.) All down dramatically.
- Evidently the Mission for that "Residual Force" which was once "in the region" and now in Iraq, has been expanded (progress in Obama's "change" of policies and politics) and with it expanded to 50,000 troops.
Here's the thing: Why would Obama claim 50,000 troops is not enough in Afghanistan but is enough in Iraq? Why would the partisans claim the Surge is not responsible for Success in Iraq but should be implemented in Afghanistan?
Defeatism has been defeated and the Retreatists are attempting a retreat from their failures to prevent a Victory.