Do you think General Patraeus is telling the truth?

"so he looks good when we get another president and so the republican party itself looks a little better what with elections drawing closer and closer. basically - all more propaganda and hype" Interesting analysis. di you actualy watch the hearings? General petreaus didn't sugar coat anything. he gace a very realistic report on whats been done, what is and isnt working and what still needs to be done. His report wasn't to be on the current state of political issues over there, it was about the military stategy and the effectiveness there of. Do you know what the current strategy is? I looked in to that too and it made sense at even the most basic levels. It involves all the extra troups from the surge, being based In the comunities rather than the bases, these guys are assigne to specific small Iraqi squads and police patrol groups. the cammanders of these groups both iraqi and coolition also meet regularly with the local leaders of the various towns they are stationed in and bsae their tactics on what these leaders tell them. The groups also work in the communities with the populous, talking with them, getting to know them as one gets toi know the local cop that walks a beat in your neighborhood in your town regularly. These groups become part of the community and it has resulted in enormous levels of trust and cooperation. the locals now feel safer about comming forward with information and are beginning to trust their leaders more trhan the militias they depended on. To sit up on capitol hill and in so much as openly accuse general petraeus of being a political parrot is wrong and plain inacurate at so many levels. This is a guy on the ground over there who sees every day what is happeningh because he is in the thick of it. He was UNANIMOUSLY approved of by both sides of congress. Many major democratic leaders in congress praised him as a patriot and a man of integrity. A man in it to serve his country and to give the story straight. Now suddenly because his assesment doesnt agrea with the messge they are trying to put out that its a total failure and we should just leave, they now acuse him of being a bush puppet and towing the party line and out right LIEING.

Petraeus is in a much better position to know what is going on in Iraq than what Pelosi is, after all...he is the ranking commander in Iraq. As far as Pelosi going over Bush's head...she cannot, because Bush is as high as you can go in this country. If by that you mean that she is going to get Congress to overrule Bush, then it must be remembered that she is only the leader of half of Congress, and so far their are not nearly enough votes to accomplish that. As for calling Patreus a liar, she should watch her comments a bit closer, because the military is highly respected by Congress, and such comments can cost her some much needed support by other members of Congress if they decide to take issue with those comments...and she will find herself with a lot less cooperation than she would have had otherwise....and that includes her own party as well.

Honeslty, i think regardless of what patraeus says or does, we aren't going to pull out of iraq until the president says so or we get another president and i am leaning more on the fcat that we will have to wait for another president before it happens. history repeats itself and i am waiting to see what happens here. just as the only positive thing nixon every really did was to get us out of veitnam, i think such will be the case with whoever we elect next, unless of course it is another close friend of the bush/cheney families, in which case we may be screwed and over there for up to 8 more years. so much ahs gone on and been changed since this war started...well, nothing would surprise me anymore. i think this report was for more than anyother reason given just to put a little hope out there for all that the soldiers would be coming hoem before the bush is out of office - so he looks good when we get another president and so the republican party itself looks a little better what with elections drawing closer and closer. basically - all more propaganda and hype. i have now become a believe when i see it kind of person in regards to our governement. simple enough, i really don't listen too much anymore because they're going to lie anyways (OR twist the truth - you know, spindoctor it up a little) i do feel bad for patraeus though, i bet he's just another pawn, may even know it, but can't do anything about it.