PressCoverage

Leaked US report stresses Iraq failures

Karen DeYoung and Thomas Ricks in Washington
August 31, 2007

IRAQ has failed to meet all but three of 18 benchmarks for political and military progress, says a leaked report being prepared for the US Congress.

The draft is strikingly negative, and raises questions about statements by the President, George Bush, last month, when he offered a much more positive assessment.

The Government Accountability Office report is to be presented to Congress on Tuesday.

A separate report due late next month based on the White House's own new benchmarks and congressional testimony from General David Petraeus, the commander in Iraq, and the US ambassador, Ryan Crocker, is expected to be more positive.

...

The leaked Washington draft provides a harsh assessment of the effects of current US-led efforts to secure Baghdad. "While the Baghdad security plan was intended to reduce sectarian violence, US agencies differ on whether such violence has been reduced," it says. Although there have been fewer attacks against US forces, the number of attacks against civilians has not changed. It also finds that "the capabilities of Iraqi security forces have not improved".

...

It contradicts the Bush Administration's conclusion last month that sectarian violence was decreasing as a result of the US military's stepped-up operations in Baghdad this year.

Only one of the political benchmarks - the protection of the rights of minority political parties in the legislature - has been achieved, according to the draft. On the others, including legislation on constitutional reform, new oil laws and de-Baathification, it assesses failure.

Asked to comment on the draft, a White House spokesman, Gordon Johndroe, said: "General Petraeus and ambassador Crocker are there on the ground every day in Iraq, and it's important to wait to hear what they have to say." He disputed suggestions that the White House assessment last month did not consider all internal views, saying it had been the result of "a far-reaching process in the state and defence departments and other agencies".

"far-reaching process?" SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURE, GORDO...

fleabassist1

Don't listen to Petraeus, the man who is actually in charge of what is happening ... as well as the US ambassador...
Oh, and the senators who traveled to Iraq... don't listen to them either - on either side, demo or repub!

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GO PATRIOTS!!!!

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Holy Diver

Shocker!

No need to worry everyone, The Prez said that we are making 'progress'. Just like we are making 'progress' in New Orleans. The reason that the generals can't see the progress is because they are there everyday. They don't see it. Bush, on the other hand, can see progress because he only checks in on it every now and then.

We should stand by our President, he has never lied to us in the past and sticks to his guns. He is always right. ALWAYS.

Real World

The bottom line is very few people are actually interested in the truth. All they are interested in is either negative angles, or positive spin. The left won't, and doesn't, want any good news. The right doesn't want any negative news. So the sheep on each side will eat up the hay that their beloveds feed them, and burp the latest talking points. I'm more interested in what is going on there, whether it's good, bad, or ugly. Ultimately I'm praying that we end up with the most positive results in Iraq, as the most positives results are what's best for both the US, and that country. I'll listen to Petreaus, Crocker, and everyone else. I'll read the reports, MSM, and usual soldier/embed blogs, and come to my own conclusion of what I think is accurate. I still believe we're drawing down significantly in 2008, which I said would happen prior to the surge strategy.

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"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him."
Leo Tolstoy, 1897

Stokes

Bill Kristol had an interesting opinion on the report, found here:

http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Pu...4/031oxqcf.asp

His main point is that the benchmarks set were only passed if totally complete, no indication of progress towards them. Completing these things 2 months into the new strategy is unrealistic. Here is a an excerpt from his article.

"And what are the benchmarks that Congress set up? Do they include criteria that matter? No. Grassroots political progress? Not in the GAO report. The turn of the Sunnis against the insurgency? Not in the GAO report. The stabilization of Anbar province? Not in the GAO report. And progress against al Qaeda--the single most vital and direct American national interest in Iraq? Not in the GAO report."

Take it as you like, we all know how the Weekly Standard leans, but I thought it was a nice counterargument to the negativity of the report.

Holy Diver

Bill Kristol can lick my nut. I frickin hate him, his father and any neocon. People who think like him are destryong our nation. Party and Pockets before our beloved constitution and country. If I ever see him, he'd better be prepared for a running elbow to the face, followed by a camel clutch so bad that his head comes off like a pez machine. I will then scream so loud, that his body explodes, and hold his head from the top of the highest mountan and declare the world to be "free once again!!!!"

on a side note.

anyone ever work for a compnay that you can feel is imploding with bad leadership? Thats whats going on. Willy Kristol is one of those consultants who comes in to 'comment' on the problem. Your daddy was wrong 'Billiam', quit acting so smug, like you know everything...because everything you know seems to be DEAD WRONG!

Stokes

Don't hold back now, tell us what you really think! That got a good laugh out of me. Anyway, despite your loathing of Kristol, I thought this particular piece made a good general point, that you can look at the situation and see what you want based on how you set benchmarks for progress (Obviously Kristol takes it farther than that, and he'll always paint a rosy picture, so like I said, take out of it what you want). Real World's post had it right in that there's a lot of spin and bs on both sides. Since the side of looking at the operation as a failure had been presented with the post of the negative report, thought I'd throw in something that presents the other side of the story.

Holy Diver

word...

glad you got a chuckle. My post was intended to be comedic. The actual meeting between me and Bill Kristol would be much bloodier, and more glorious.

PressCoverage

actually, i think a lot of people are interested in the truth... unfortunately, the current administration is not, and they pull all the strings and provide all the smoke screens....

the GAO is a non-partisan audit and investigative arm of the legislative branch, and its comptroller is appointed by the president... this report precisely ISN'T some partisaned smear job, as much as people want to dismiss it as such...

PressCoverage

well, i mean, you don't listen to the men who've been in charge over there, and replaced of course, now do you? because they've each told a very different story then the current lap dog your heroes have installed... Gates, Pace, Casey, ... you remember them, right?

yeah, i think we get it... you "listen" to whomever tells you what you want to hear...