On Pace for Redeployment?

The reports that General Peter Pace will be urging that the U.S. begin a phased redeployment from Iraq, cutting troop levels to half by next year, seems fairly shocking, but shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. I haven't exactly been a fan of General Pace, but now that he is on his way out, reports like these show that without his job on the line anymore, he's more willing to give blunt assessments than he has in the past. He seems finally willing to say what he knows - we have no strategic reserve because of Iraq, and our commitments around the world are far more expansive than Baghdad. Frankly, now that he's not looking over his shoulder, he's doing his job, it seems to me.

General Pace's job, as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and Senior military advisor to the president, is to assess our military effectiveness and readiness on the larger scale. It's markedly different than the job of General David Petraeus, whose overall concern begins and ends in the borders of Iraq. While General Petraeus must be concerned with what's happening in a section of Baghdad, and won't hold back in saying more troops can solve this problem or that, Pace and the Secretary of Defense are literally the circuit breaker that keeps such deployments from being fulfilled, if they feel it will break our military and hurt our ability to quickly and effectively respond to other conflicts. Or, at least, that's the theory. General Pace and Donald Rumsfeld didn't exactly live up to that job in the past.

Nonetheless, and unfortunately, every sign points to the president using General Petraeus as his excuse for keeping the war in Iraq going with no foreseeable end. For General Petraeus, it makes perfect sense for him to go along to get along. Essentially, when the White House writes its September report, it will claim that progress is being made and say General Petraeus is doing a good job. And, he'll sign his name on the dotted line. Why wouldn't he? Why wouldn't anyone here sign a positive job performance review?

The White House will cherry pick areas of Iraq, representing the overwhelming geographic minority of the country, as areas that were secured. But, it will ignore other areas that were once secured, then lost, when troops left, because of a lack of political reconciliation. It will ignore that the warring parties of Iraq are no closer today than they were in 2003.

Meanwhile, the White House will bypass that circuit breaker - General Pace - who will be warning of dire consequences to the military and United States security if the surge is allowed to continue - indeed, if war is allowed to continue for an indeterminate length. They'll be bypassing the recent Intelligence Estimate that warns that while our military is doing what it's supposed to do, there is no real progress on the ground in Iraq, because there is no movement towards real, permanent stability.

Of course, this is nothing new. Since the war began, the president has not listened to the commanders he needed to listen to , and when a General told him something he didn't want to hear, the president replaced him (see: Shinseki, Eric K.). That seems to not be lost on General Petraeus, and now on General Pace who, with no job security to lose, is finally willing to tell the president what so many military experts and retired brass have been saying for two years: This war is breaking our military and hurting our national security.

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Comments

[IMPRISONBUSH]

BUSH loses no one in this war his daughters are safe and others wearing the uniform have no face or family ties to bush.
BUSH AND CHENEY have MADE MILLIONS OFF THIS WAR AND TO THE LAST HE WILL CONTINUE TO SEND TROOPS LEAVING THE WAR, MESS FOR OTHERS TO CLEAN UP AS HE DID IN HIS PAST LIFE.

[realpolitic]

Former Captain Soltz is a hero for his service and as an effective advocate to end the war. Retired General Shinseki is a hero, as well. It is too bad more top military brass are not willing to risk their careers to speak independently of the administration.

General Pace was for years like a poodle at the side of Rumsfield. He reminds one of a battered wife who can no longer speak her mind. Unfortunately, the Petraeus report will likely be a smokescreen, as well. The officers who speak up now against this interminable war will be remembered as heroes.

[Qbear]

btw Petey Pace....YOU ARE IMMORAL


~the LGBT Americans

[Qbear]

Iraq is a FAILURE like New Orleans being unrestored....but it's a DRY FAILURE.

[Hollyse]

General Petraeus better step up to the plate for America the country he loves and serves or else he'll end up just like Colin Powell in his quiet moment of private tears for throwing the baby out with the bath water. Shame will be the twin to both generals who serve a man instead of a nation.

[STFU2]

Christ, will you people stop the Orwellian nonsense. This is would not be a "redeployment."

[joja]

WTF are you talking about?

[STFU2]

Words have meaning. This would be a withdrawal. I hate the idiotic "redeployment" language. Let's call a spade a spade here.

The OP says he has served and should know better.

[joja]

Pace & Petreaus are both traitors. They're in a position to end the on-going obscenity in Iraq, but instead they have chosen to be cheerleaders for the WH fuck-ups so they can retire in comfort.

What brave patriots! They continue to support the carnage, the outrageous corruption, and one sickening lie after another from the Cheney/Bush regime because they are such cowards that they would rather protect themselves from the Dark Duo's wrath than do what is right by the American people and our troops, which is get the fuck outta there yesterday!

I remember reading that when Gen. Robert E. Lee was asked by Gen. Grant why he (Lee) had chosen to go with the South instead of the North, at the beginning of the Civil War, Lee replied that he did it because his state, Virginia, had chosen to secede and he decided in favor of his state, rather than his country.

Grant purportedly replied that choosing one's state over one's country was the worst reason of all to commit treason.

It would seem that the same can be said of the parade of clowns dressed in military uniforms who parrot the regime's Vietnam-era talking points -- they've chosen loyalty to a de facto dictatorship over their oath to uphold and defend the Constitution and their country.

I'm sure that Cheney & Bush will reward them for their efforts, tho. A Medal of Freedom is definitely in their futures.

Makes me want to puke!

[joebaggadonuts]

Jon you missed the point. You said, "And, he'll sign his name on the dotted line. Why wouldn't he? Why wouldn't anyone here sign a positive job performance review?"when referring to Patreas' options when presented with the expected pack of lies in the expected report on progress of the surge.

The answer is VALUES. Petreas should be doing his job which is reporting facts to his commander and to the public, to whom his commander is responsible. Because you excuse him for the human frailty of failing to live up to the job we gave him, you are part of the problem.

We have a military to sacrifice for us, to protect us, to serve us. That is their job. Their job is not to suck up to ANY commander so they can get a good report card. If our military has devolved to such a state, we are truly in a state of despotism, with no hope of recovery.

Please reconsider your position on this important, nay crucial, point of view.

[Novista]

When I was a peacetime draftee, 1959, I was anti-military. Now, I am seeing some military people I admire. Unfortunately, they're not the ones in control.

Recently there've been two self-styled antiwar pundits who went to Iraq and came back with glowing report of 'progress'. And a congresscritter. Or two or three. All were nannied by Green Zone personnel.

As I've said elsewhere, send one to Baghdad airport, he's on his own when he arrives and if and when he leaves. Let him live with Iraqis a few days, travel around, put his boots on the ground without supervision and protection ... then IF he returns with glowing reports, he might even be believed.

Until then, no spin could be believed.

I'll volunteer. 12,300 km from TSV to BGW. Anyone want to sponsor me? If I don't make it back, only my late wife's dog would miss me.

[woodsywizz]

Pace is a Marine. Remember "We Take Care of Our Own"? Remember "Leave No Man Behind"? Pace was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs when Marines first request Mine Resistant Vehicles over three years ago. They're still lost in production, or lost in transit.

[LiarLiarIraqsOnFire]

Pace allowed himself to be used. Hell, Pace has been ridden hard and left saddled (with the blame for the failure of whatever it was that passed for Strategy in Iraq) and exhausted (of honor), deep in the wilderness. Just one more warhorse coming up lame.

[BeamMeUpScotty]

Lies are to be expected from Bush. It's his stock in trade. But, if Petraeus allows his words to be twisted into lies that cause more death, shame on him for not standing up for what is right.

[DeeLight]

What about the people of Iraq? Exactly how has our invasion helped them?

8 million Iraqis 'need urgent aid'
# One in three Iraqis need water, sanitation, food and shelter, relief agencies say
# Relief agencies say humanitarian crisis worsened since U.S.-led invasion
# Report found about 43 percent of Iraq's population endure "absolute poverty"
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/07/30/iraq.humanitarian/index.html

Millions of Iraqi refugees.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19980375/

Doesn't the quality of life for the actual people of Iraq at least count for something?

[bumpersticker]

A workable definition of sin is believing you are elevated over the base of humanity. Once you do that, "Love....AS YOUSELF" becomes impossible. Some say it's the true warning against idolatry. Much of my repulsion of Bush, Cheney, and even Rice, is their apparent embrace of superiority as a life choice. It helps to explain their downright spooky emotional detachment from "common man," as if they have evolved to a higher form.

[win2kpro]

David Petraeus is nothing but a Bush lap dog that jumps through the hoops the way the "decider" wants him too.

The Petraeus report should be renamed the White House report since it is being written by White House staff.

Congress, if you truly support the troops, cut off the funding. This is the only way to tie the "decider's" hands, and bring the troops home.

EDWARDS/CLARK IN '08

[KansasKowboy]

The Generals wanting to protect their retirement and their promotions have all been compliant in the Iraq debacle. Too many of the Generals have been "Yes Men" for Bush and his Iraq war. They are only concerned about getting out with their retirement pay intact. How many Generals have we gone through since we first invaded Iraq begining with General Franks? Four? Six? Several of the Generals who started this mess are now retired and collecting their retirement pay. While many of the soldiers that started on day-one are still there in Iraq or buried in a National Cemetary or getting around limbless.

If these Generals are serious professionals, they would call a spade a spade and tell us to get the hell out of Iraq. I would rather be remembered in history as the General that called it right and fixed the problem, even if that means getting booted out of the Military and having to fight for my retirement pay, than to be remembered as one of Bush's "Yes Men" who had it all wrong and caused the defeat of the U.S. Military in another needless war. (Needless Wars, WWI, Vietnam, Iraq, ?Korea?)
Remeber what all the Generals and other top brass of the Third Reich were repeating at Nuremburg? "I was just following orders."

Is that the line that United States Military leaders will be remembered for after this Iraq war haas finally run its course?

[Backcaster]

This is sounding more and more like Nam,our military leaders in the field lying about the reality of the situationon the ground,for thier own personal advancement and aggrandizment. Maybe that was comparison Dubya was making the other day to the VFW...

[woodsywizz]

Several Generals have come out against the war. One retired rather than accept a war promotion, so he could speak out. Can you name him? Can you name any of them? Hint: there are almost a dozen.