The Patraeus Report is alot more critical than I expected [View All]

Even a modest drawdown in troops will help Pubs in November.


Forbes

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/09/07/ap4095265.html

Petraeus Eyes Troop Drawdown in Spring
By PAULINE JELINEK
09.07.07, 6:54 PM ET


WASHINGTON - Previewing a widely anticipated report to Congress, the top U.S. commander in Iraq says some troop withdrawals may be possible next spring, and the troop buildup of recent months has failed to yield political reform in Baghdad.

"It has not worked out as we had hoped," Gen. David Petraeus wrote U.S. forces in a letter Friday summarizing the results of the troop increase President Bush ordered last winter.

Petraeus wrote that U.S. military forces have chalked up significant gains in recent months. "In fact, the number of attacks across the country has declined in eight of the past 11 weeks, reaching during the last week in August a level not seen since June 2006."

At the same time, he told the men and women under his command they "operate against a backdrop of limited Iraqi government capacity, institutions trying to rebuild and various forms of corruption."

The letter dovetailed with an e-mail message to the Boston Globe, in which Petraeus said he expects that some troops scheduled to return home in the spring of 2008 could leave Iraq without replacements.

"Based on the progress our forces are achieving, I expect to be able to recommend that some of our forces will be redeployed without replacement," Petraeus told the paper.

"The bottom line is that ... I do not envision that the U.S. would need to send more troops," he said, adding that commanders are planning for how remaining troops will be deployed around Iraq "as the surge of forces inevitably runs its course."

The general is scheduled to make a formal report to Bush in the coming days, to be followed by appearances before congressional committees beginning on Monday. His report comes at a pivotal point, with Congress just back from its summer vacation, and the administration seeking fresh funding for the politically unpopular conflict.

Petraeus' two-page letter to the troops made no mention of a troop withdrawal, dealing, instead, with progress to date of Bush's so-called "surge" in troops.

"Many of us had hoped this summer would be a time of tangible political progress. ... One of the justifications for the surge, after all, was that it would help create the space for Iraqi leaders to tackle the tough questions and agree on key pieces of 'national reconciliation' legislation," the letter said.

"It has not worked out as we had hoped," Petraeus said in the letter, adding that a summit of Iraqi leaders in late August "has given hope that they are up to the task before them, even if it is clearly taking more time than we initially expected."