Say Anything Blog

From the Washington Post today:

BAGHDAD, March 13—Iraqi leaders have failed to take advantage of a reduction in violence to make adequate progress toward resolving their political differences, Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said Thursday.

Petraeus, who is preparing to testify to Congress next month on the Iraq war, said in an interview that “no one” in the U.S. and Iraqi governments “feels that there has been sufficient progress by any means in the area of national reconciliation,” or in the provision of basic public services.

The general’s comments appeared to be his sternest to date on Iraqis’ failure to achieve political reconciliation.

That actually comes as something of a surprise...to the general himself.  From a military press release:

“Today’s Washington Post inaccurately characterized the discussions General Petraeus and their reporters had yesterday. During the one-hour interview General Petraeus never intimated or stated that Iraqi leaders have “failed to take advantage of a reduction in violence to make adequate progress toward resolving their political differences.”

The Washington Post has been asked to make a correction on this statement and we are awaiting their decision.

Here’s an excerpt from the pertinent portion of the interview transcript:

GENERAL PETRAEUS: ...The government does have to achieve legitimacy in the eyes of many in the Sunni Arab community, if not most. There’s no question. Actually, it has to achieve legitimacy in the eye of all Iraqis…… and that can only come by improving the level of services, again—some of which are going to take some time, but some of which they can do in a…

WP: But they have political power. Anbar wants political power.

GENERAL PETRAEUS: And they will get it. But again, that’s why they want provincial elections. That’s why the provincial powers law and the subsequent provincial election laws are so important. I mean that’s why Ambassador Crocker and I have repeatedly noted that, you know, it’s crucial that the Iraqis exploit the opportunity that we and our Iraqi counterparts have fought so hard to provide them. And they did start down that road. They have made a start down that road. And, you know, the laws that were passed, some of them are steps toward the kind of progress that is needed to begin to cement the gains that have been achieved in the security arena.

WP: Do you think enough has been done? I mean last year, you know, you’ve even said it…

GENERAL PETRAEUS: Sure.

WP: …a lot of commanders have said it that the key goal of the surge…

GENERAL PETRAEUS: Sure.

WP: …is to foster political reconciliation.

GENERAL PETRAEUS: No.—Let me take that again—don’t say that……let me just answer that one.

WP: Yeah.

GENERAL PETRAEUS: No one…no one in the government or US…or even in the government of Iraq feels that there has been sufficient progress by any means in the area of national reconciliation, legislation to cement the gains, and so on. They are all keenly aware. And the same with respect to basic services. I mean I actually…today I was invited by the prime minister after we had our weekly meeting with him, the ambassador and I, he said, “Will you stay around and sit in on the meeting with the ministers of oil and electricity?” And so I said, “Okay. I guess so.” I mean after three and one-half years of monitoring daily exports, towers up or down, you know, 400KV, 132KV, 11KV, the different oil lines, the different generators, and everything else, it’s actually helpful. And in fact, I just got a commitment from, you know, an enormous, maybe the biggest, electrical production company in the world to renew its efforts here after some pretty frustrating years, frankly. So…

WP: So you’re going to have…The surge is going to be gone by July. Are you…do you think the government has lost an opportunity to…

GENERAL PETRAEUS: No. I think…no. I think the opportunity is very much still there.

Petraeus says that political reconciliation hasn’t been achieved yet, but that the opportunity for such is still there.  Which is at odds with the Post article which indicates that Petraeus thinks the Iraqis have failed.

The Post blatantly misrepresented what Petraeus said.

And so begins the political maneuvering that will surround Petraeus’ report to Congress.  As we wade into it, remember not to believe much of what you read in the media.