NYT: Seeing gains as fragile, Petraeus wary of cuts, wants heightened troop level into next year

Petraeus, Seeing Gains as Fragile, Is Wary of Cuts
By DAVID E. SANGER and DAVID S. CLOUD
Published: September 7, 2007

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 — Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq, has told President Bush that he wants to maintain heightened troop levels in Iraq well into next year to reduce the risk of military setbacks, but could accept the pullback of roughly 4,000 troops beginning in January, in part to assuage critics in Congress, according to senior administration and military officials.

General Petraeus’s view is considered overly cautious by some other senior military officials and some members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, officials said. But they said it reflected his concern that the security gains made so far in Baghdad, Anbar Province and other areas were fragile and easily reversed.

Beyond the gesture of pulling back one brigade, officials who have been involved in the preparation of General Petraeus’s Congressional testimony to be delivered next week say he will discuss the possibility of far deeper withdrawals beyond January that, over a number of months, could bring American force levels down to about 130,000 troops, where they stood at the beginning of 2007. But they said it was unclear how specific the general would be in publicly discussing the timing of pullbacks, and they said that even in internal administration deliberations he had described conditions that must be met before a reduction.

White House officials said Thursday night that Mr. Bush had yet to make any final decisions about the recommendations. But General Petraeus’s apparent agreement to a small withdrawal beginning early next year could fit into a narrow consensus that is beginning to emerge on Capitol Hill. Many Republicans and Democrats agree that some troop withdrawal should begin soon, though major disagreements remain about how quick and deep the subsequent withdrawals should be.

General Petraeus “is worried about risk, and all things being equal he’d like to keep as much as he could for as long as he could,” a senior military officer said. General Petraeus returned unannounced to Washington late on Tuesday, officials said, to prepare for the testimony he will deliver beginning Monday. It will be paired with a political assessment of the Maliki government delivered by Ryan C. Crocker, the American ambassador to Iraq. Several officials involved in internal discussions about the testimony said that both General Petraeus and Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the ground commander in Iraq, were worried about signing on to a timetable that would commit them to steep withdrawals in the spring. In recent weeks, the ground commanders have said they need the option to halt any pullback if security conditions deteriorate....

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/07/washington/07policy.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Besides, what gains? We have been through these statistics again and again ... and the spin attached to them. There are no real gains.

The can is being kicked down the road once again.

4000 by next year? That is not any kind of reduction. It's the reality of rotation and the current state of the military.

I've had it (again).

But lets stay there so more of our troops can die.

to keep his "accomplishments" from eroding, meaningless as they ultimately are. All about protecting your legacy, you know.

Because that would be a real trick.