Petraeus: I Need Another Six Months To Determine Whether ‘We’ve Reached A Turning Point’

[babylonsister]

:eyes:

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/01/22/petraeus-six-months/

Petraeus: I Need Another Six Months To Determine Whether ‘We’ve Reached A Turning Point’

In the past few months, conservatives such as Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) have been quick to declare victory in Iraq. In November, McCain said that “we’ve succeeded militarily.” A day later, Lieberman declared that “we are winning” because “we have made progress” in “one of the most remarkable turnarounds in modern military history.”

Gen. David Petraeus, however, appeared on NBC this morning and rebutted the declarations of mission accomplished and said that he’ll need at least another Friedman Unit before he can make a judgment:

We think we won’t know that we’ve reached a turning point until we’re six months past it. We have repeatedly said that there is no lights at the end of the tunnel that we’re seeing. We’re certainly not dancing in the end zone or anything like that.

Watch it/read transcript at link~

These six months appear to be never-ending, and are used by the right wing to constantly beg more time for the war. As The New York Times reported in September, Petraeus recommended to Congress that “decisions on the contentious issue of reducing the main body of the American troops in Iraq be put off for six months.”

With timelines like these, U.S. troops might actually be stuck in Iraq for a million years.

[gateley]

1. NO! You CAN'T HAVE another six months! Come home NOW!

Jesus, how long will this go on?

[fenriswolf]

its one of the fundamental rules of the fundy regime

read 1984

need a never ending war that the populas is never really exposed to in order to maintain control and instil fear lest the "enemy" getcha.

[gateley]

9. Yeah, I know. Sigh. nt

[fenriswolf]

2. booooooo Petraeus

yaaaahhhh beer.

seriously though Petraeus was a preening peacock when he comanded the 101st (my former unit) and he's still one.

[Nickster]

3. Can't we make it easier and just start referring to it in Friedman Units. "I need one more F.U."

[More Than A Feeling]

8. To him I say, "No, I think we've been sufficiently F.U.cked by Bush in Iraq for a lifetime."

[aquart]

11. I was just gonna say.

[pitohui]

4. the good old "light at the end of the tunnel"

i guess it's vietnam yet

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. Translation: "Give me more time, more money, more troops, and don't pay attention."

[babylonsister]

7. Or, let's stretch this thing out til January 2009. nt

[underpants]

30. Where are all the wise old sages telling us about how "government types" never want LESS money?

YOUR money don't forget

[More Than A Feeling]

6. This man needs another Friedman, stat!

He's got a fever and the only cure is more Friedman!

[Malikshah]

16. Dammmmmnnnnn you!!!!!!!

I was going to pull out my F.U. (Friedman Unit)

It's good for what ails ya!

[fenriswolf]

10. how much you wanna bet four years from now the

DNC is gonna try streching out the war so they can lay it back at the republicans feet again?

[Kolesar]

12. "The DNC"

Some machination by Howard Dean, perhaps? That warmonger?? :sarcasm:

[rug]

13. There is no turning point in a revolving door, douchebag.

[niyad]

14. you were given until september, and now it is almost february. if you are incapable

of doing your job, get the HEll out now

[ljm2002]

15. OMG these people are so transparent...

...it would be funny if it were not about something so serious.

As many of us have been saying -- what they're really doing, is running out the clock. What they really want is to leave the mess on the doorstep of a Democrat. Then, when the Democratic president commences a pull-out, and when the Iraqis do not do everything we want them to do after that, the Republics can always revert to the "Well we woulda won if them cowardly Democrats hadn't of made us pull out, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, if you will" line.

Gaak, I hate these people.

[Blue_In_AK]

17. In November 2005,

the son of Diane Benson, my candidate for the House, lost both his legs in Iraq due to "stop loss" -- he was supposed to have been home 13 days before this tragedy. Just this past January, his best friend lost his life, also stop lossed. Ironically, he was supposed to have come home in November, on the very day of the month that Latseen lost his legs. This has just got to stop.

[tabasco]

18. How do we know when we've won, General?

Is it when Iraq is a peaceful, thriving democracy and all the insurgents are dead?

That's not going to happen in six months, six years, or six decades.

I guess it's like McCain said, "make it a hundred (years)!"

[Supersedeas]

19. "another 6 months" -- same story that we've been hearing for many years now

[hisownpetard]

20. Petraeus is Lucy, holding the football, and the rest of us are Charlie Brown.

[Justice Is Comin]

21. How about we give you

another six minutes, you bush troll.

[spanone]

22. wow, now there's a surprise. take your time general, soon you'll be working for a democrat.

[Coexist]

23. Oh man, these jokes just write themselves....

he must be helping Leno out, due to the writer's strike!!!

:rofl:

[I work for workers]

24. A quick veiw of the candidates shows he has at least three years left.

[SammyWinstonJack]

32. With Mccain he has as much time as he needs. 10 years 100 years.

:silly:

[Solly Mack]

25. lolololol

[Arugula Latte]

26. I know someone very high up who works with Petraeus.

He won't be coming back to the U.S. any time soon. He was photographed shaking Bush's hand. There is a part of me that wants to scream at him: "Well, look what voting for Republicans got you!" but I don't know him well enough.

[AtomicKitten]

27. Bite me, Petraeus.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

28. "No lights at the end of the tunnel. Not dancing in end zone. DEFINITELY not gettin jiggy with it"

Lemme get this straight.

We need to keep looking back every six months until we're confident that six months ago we had a "turning point?"

Sweet Jesus, it's no wonder why the freeps were pissed that this tool didn;t get Time's "Man Of The Year" award.

:silly:

[babylonsister]

29. And now the admin's dialing back on him, wonder of wonders:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3151784

[bdamomma]

31. oh this is total BS, now if the Congress listens to this idiot again.

forget it, more death of our troops and Iraqi civilians continues. Betrayus is the right name to call him. This is total BS, another 6 more months of our soldiers getting killed and wounded and for what??? sickening.

[bvar22]

33. I'm sure gld that the Democratic Party censured Move On.

We wouldn't want anyone to besmirch the good General's reputation.

AND,

The proud Democratic Congress (2006) proved that they CAN get something done.