Woodward: Washington Misrepresented The Success Of The "Surge"

Washington Post:

Throughout the summer of 2007, as the troop surge in Iraq reached full strength, Gen. David H. Petraeus kept waiting for the tide to turn. By summer's end, the U.S. commander in Iraq got his wish. The high of 1,550 attacks a week fell below 800 -- nearly a 50 percent reduction. It has continued to fall over the past year. Why did the violence drop so dramatically?

On one level, the surge was beginning to have its intended effect. Doubling the U.S. forces in and around Baghdad from 17,000 to nearly 40,000, coupled with Petraeus's counterinsurgency game plan, had helped quell some of the sectarian and other violence that had defined the previous year and a half. About 30 joint security stations had been established around Baghdad; security along the borders with Iran and Syria had improved; and the Iraqi army was performing better.
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In Washington, conventional wisdom translated these events into a simple view: The surge had worked. But the full story was more complicated. At least three other factors were as important as, or even more important than, the surge. These factors either have not been reported publicly or have received less attention than the influx of troops.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[DXM]

Another key reason for the decrease in violence (especially in Baghdad) was not mentioned: Virtually all the neighborhoods had been ethnically cleansed and walls erected to separate and protect the various factions from each other. Still, the underlying thesis that The Surge by itself was NOT responsible for the marked decrease in violence is true.

[darthdarcy]

The Iraqi "awakening" Sons of Iraq movement, had more to do with the drop in violence than anything else even the surge..the Surge was only in an around Baghdad...!

[bb922335]

God forbid Dem sheep give troops any credit for this!

[innerpeace]

As you know,the Dems have given the troops much of the credit for it,but there are other reasons that can be mentioned.Try not doing a knee jerk response.

[Daniel8168]

God forbid Republican sheep (like McCain) give troops any kind of educational assistance, mental health care, medical care, etc.

Until you actually realize how the republicans have thoroughly and continually given our troops the shaft, you can just put a cork in it. Once you do realize, you can start to ask the republicans why they would pretend to support the troops when in fact they treat them like rotten meat with rifles.

Talk about sheep! You're sitting there spouting the regurgitated Republican rhetoric while Republicans like McCain secretly laugh at you and all of America's soldiers.

And for the record, Democrats for the most part believe that our troops have done a miraculous job over there - it's our commander in chief that doesn't know what the hell he's doing.

[mjjcpa]

I agree that this a complex web of economics,religion, and global military concepts, but I really don't think any of the other things you mention would have occurred without the McCain surge. We delude ourselves if we think that this effort has been brought off well, but we should be intellectually honest enough to give credit where it's due. If we had listened to Harry, Nancy, Hillary and Barack, Al Qaeda and Iran would be looking for their next target instead of burying their dead.

[rich3324]

So we have armed the Shia, Sunni and Kurds. These three groups are trying to divide the oil weath. Some of these groups will feel that they are getting screwed. Does anyone see a problem with this?

[MikeDu]

The Neocons cause this God-awful trainwreck then they try to claim 'credit' when the blood-stained wreckage finally at long last stops tumbling and burning. If we had got out in 2004 it would've stopped in 2004. if we had never gone in to begin with there would never have been the God-awful trainwreck to begin with!

A second though too. The media isn't reporting the war anymore. The Pentagon isn't reporting the war. If we went by the official DoD press photos we'd think its been nothing but five years of smiling Iraqi children being handed soccer balls and candy! Why are we believing ANYTHING we hear from these people? I guarantee one week after election day the tops going to come off the pressure-cooker.

[OkieMon]

the only surge that worked in iraq was the surge in oil prices to 150 bucks a barrel...all the factions looked at each other and said why are we killing each other we are all millionaires?

[dadw5boys]

No mention of the money paid to Iraqi and al Sadar not to attack the troops .

[ChiMan1]

OF Course NOT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! . Bush Did It!
Journalist My ASS!

[Babysnake]

Why is Woodward not talking about the "surge" in CIA bribes to insurgents for not fighting, but turning in others for more bribes?

[Soothsayer08]

As one poster said "Why can't the Obama campaign use this? Bob Woodward has always been are the forefront of breaking factual news stories, ever since Watergate.


I sent an email to the Obama campaign, Joe Biden and Daivid Axelrod at his firm
AKPDMedia.coma.com
I told them to wake up and start fighting the smart way, and that their strategy is faulty and ineffective

Tell them bloogers

[V4Vigilance]

WAIT!

The Bush misAdministration providing simplistic, politically advantageous answers to complex questions?!?

I'M SHOCKED! SHOCKED, I SAY!

[robXdion]

Now why can't Obama make this singular statement and drive it home? Instead he digs thru the weeds of big words, phrases, dates and foreign names most Americans can't grasp like he's critiquing college thesis papers. All of those advisers and no one can tell him this?

[Smirk]

Go to his campaign website and send an email expressing what you think. If enough people do it, it might work. I wrote one yesterday suggesting that Biden stop referring to Senators McCain and Lieberman by their first names because affectionately calling McCain "John" undermines whatever criticism is being made of him or his party, and calling Lieberman "Joe" makes it sound like Biden's referring to himself.

[Maloysius]

But I thought the escalation, er I mean surge was the panacea for all the world's ills.

[rwe]

Barack realized it is , finally.