Why We Worry

Although there has been a decline in the media coverage of Iraq, the recent attacks by Al-Maliki on the militias in Basra and today’s Congressional testimony by General Petraeus on the “surge” has brought the occupation of Iraq back into the spotlight.

It’s likely that we’re going to be bombarded with news about the esteemed General’s progress report. He will report that progress in Iraq has been steady, that the drop in violence brought by the “surge” is real but that the job isn’t done. We need to stay longer because the next few months will be crucial. In short, the war must go on.

What did you expect him to say? Petraeus isn’t going to go in front of Congress and tell them the “surge” strategy has failed to bring the political reconciliation needed for a lasting peace. He isn’t going to say the drop in violence could have just as much to do with Sadr’s ceasefire and the “success” of ethnic cleansing as it does with extra American troops in Baghdad.

General Petraeus isn’t an unbiased observer. He is and has been a cheerleader for the Iraq war. He’s made generally upbeat proclaimations about our progress in Iraq when the facts did not warrant such a rosy view. We shouldn’t expect anything different now.

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