Bush's "surge" decided on, not by military leaders, but by armchair commandos

[ck4829]

Earlier this month, President Bush affirmed his commitment to his escalation plan, stating, “I’m going to remind the people in the audience today that troop levels will be decided by our commanders on the ground, not by political figures in Washington, D.C.”

But the DC Examiner reports today that “a bunch of arm chair generals in Washington” from the American Enterprise Institute “almost single handedly convinced the White House to change its strategy” in weekend meetings last December. The AEI escalation plan reportedly “won out over plans from the Pentagon and U.S. Central Command”:

They banded together at AEI headquarters in downtown Washington early last December and hammered out the surge plan during a weekend session. It called for two major initiatives to defeat the insurgency: reinforcing the troops and restoring security to Iraqi neighborhoods. Then came trips to the White House by AEI military historian Frederick Kagan, retired Army Gen. John Keane and other surge proponents.

More and more officials began attending the sessions. Even Vice President Dick Cheney came. “We took the results of our planning session immediately to people in the administration,” said AEI analyst Thomas Donnelly, a surge planner. “It became sort of a magnet for movers and shakers in the White House.” Donnelly said the AEI approach won out over plans from the Pentagon and U.S. Central Command.

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/07/25/aei-escalation/

[frogcycle]

1. that was obvious at the time

the military did not propose the surge - bush was not getting the recommendations he wanted. He cannednd Casey, put Petraeus in place and THEN announced Petraues wanted this plan.

It was crystal clear.

that's why he keeps using sock-puppet Petraeus' name - it is his cover for continuing to think he and his neocon wackos have a frigging clue what they are doing

[ellenfl]

2. just as it was clear that he was going to invade iraq, by hook

or by crook. he should have just done it without trying to persuade us with his lies. oh, wait, it was really congress he was trying to persuade . . . and succeeded.

ellen fl