White House to write Petraeus report

August 15, 2007

The LAT had a thorough and detailed report today on Gen. David Petraeus’ current thinking about troop duties in Iraq. Unfortunately, the Times piece really buried the lede.

The thrust of the piece focused on Petraeus apparent belief that U.S. troops may soon be able to leave parts of Iraq where security conditions have improved. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean the troops can return home and the overall deployment can shrink — Petraeus may decide to simply move the soldiers from one part of Iraq to more dangerous areas.

But way down in the 28th paragraph of the article, the LAT explained:

Despite Bush’s repeated statements that the report will reflect evaluations by Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, administration officials said it would actually be written by the White House, with inputs from officials throughout the government.

And though Petraeus and Crocker will present their recommendations on Capitol Hill, legislation passed by Congress leaves it to the president to decide how to interpret the report’s data.

If I’d heard this elsewhere, I’d long since forgotten about it.

For weeks, the White House has responded to every question about Iraq the same way: let’s wait until September and see what Petraeus and Crocker have to say. Given their credibility, the argument goes, their assessments should carry enormous weight. And on the other side of the aisle, critics of the administration have wondered how best to respond to a predictable report, written by Bush allies who have given skeptics reason to worry about their objectivity.

But this entire discussion seems to have been missing the point. Petraeus and Crocker aren’t going to report to Congress; they’re going to provide information to White House officials, who will in turn tell lawmakers how great things are going in Iraq. Petraeus and Crocker will apparently offer raw data, which the Bush gang will happily interpret on their behalf.

In other words, whether you find Petraeus and Crocker credible or not is irrelevant. Their much-anticipated September report will have their names on it, but will be ghost-written by the least credible sources the nation has on Iraq: the Bush White House.

What’s more, the same article (in the 30th paragraph) added this gem:

The senior administration official said the process had created “uncomfortable positions” for the White House because of debates over what constitutes “satisfactory progress.”

During internal White House discussion of a July interim report, some officials urged the administration to claim progress in policy areas such as legislation to divvy up Iraq’s oil revenue, even though no final agreement had been reached. Others argued that such assertions would be disingenuous.

So, when preparing a mandated status report in July, the administration openly considered and discussed the merits of lying to Congress. This apparently made some officials “uncomfortable.”

Only 523 days to go….

August 15, 2007 at 11:10 am

Others argued that such assertions would be disingenuous.

Or, as it is known in the Bush White House, “Standard Operating Procedure.”

Our nation’s capitol appears to be a veritable spider’s nest of marionette strings. Puppets here, puppets there…are we to be surprised that the puppets continue to do what they do?

“So, when preparing a mandated status report in July, the administration openly considered and discussed the merits of lying to Congress. This apparently made some officials “uncomfortable.””

What’s the big deal for the WH–just have Abu G sign and deliver the report.

The part that galls me the most* is that the talking heads will refer to it as the “Petraeus Report” as if it were actually his, and the Serious People ™ will bash anyone who points out that the report is actually the “Bush White House Report” foolish defeat-o-crats who want us to lose.

*Jon Stewart will get it right. Since his is a “fake” news show he gets to tell the truth.

whether you find Petraeus and Crocker credible or not is irrelevant. Their much-anticipated September report will have their names on it, but will be ghost-written by the least credible sources the nation has on Iraq: the Bush White House.

This wouldn’t be half as absurd/maddening/sickening but for the fact that the White House itself, to my recollection, has been pushing the line of “You don’t have to trust us; trust Petraeus.” Someone can pore through past WH statements on this subject for a humorous/disturbing/nauseating effect.

Gee…what do you think it’ll say? Maybe they can get General Casey to write it, with his fertile-fields-of-Tuscany agrobabble, and promise a bustling republic in ten years. It seems plain that they’re even brassier than anybody thought – not only are they trying to stretch it out until Bush leaves office; they want it to run through the next presidency as well, so the war profiteers can continue to reap the largesse. Either that, or they’re trying to scare all the Republican presidential candidates into supporting this pig’s ear of a policy right up to the elections.

With the Bush administration’s team of goalpost-movers, the Green Bay Packers could easily get into the playoffs this year.

I hope that there are plenty of Bears fans in the Democratic majority in Congress and that they have plans to withhold King George’s ransom next month or else the Pack could make it all the way to the Super Bowl.

and we’ve been waiting for petraeus’ report because…………??????

It’s time to stop calling it the Petraeus Report: it’s not. It’s a report from the White House.

I was hoping the Packers would make it, at least, to the playoffs WITHOUT moving the goal posts. And only the Republicans in Congress are Bears fans (who might have a little trouble making the playoffs in their own right).

And please, let’s not compare the Packers in anyway to the current sAdministration: The Packers have a plan, I know Bush doesn’t….

Hey guys, it’s PRINO — the “Petraeus Report in Name Only.” Are any Democratic leaders reading the CBR or the LA Times?

claim progress in policy areas such as legislation to divvy up Iraq’s oil revenue, even though no final agreement had been reached

I think there’s some truth to this. The fact that global corporations have failed to get their bloody hands on Iraqi oil is good news to the Iraqi people…

Poor Petraeus and Crocker; they’ve been given the awesome task of carrying water for the Grand Illustrious Serfdom of Bushylvania—but the buckets have rusted completely away.

Nth. Factored. Gullible. Psychophantic. Mutant. Lemmings.

As for the content of the looming report, anyone who has ever used the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet program knows what’s coming next. Americans should expect to see the old “Fill Right” trick. That is, when producing a long-term financial model or forecast, the Excel user in the absence of research, data, or just common sense, simply copies the value or formula from one cell (for, say, monthly or quarterly sales) to all the succeeding cells (months or quarters in ensuing years). The result is an impressive looking spreadsheet, but one whose projections are baseless and without foundation.

As the interim surge report made clear in July, President Bush like any failed CEO has been relying on the old fill-right gimmick since the Iraq war commenced. Starting in 2003, Bush simply selected the cell containing the phrase “We’re Making Progress” and filled right…

For a screen shot and more details, see:
“White House to Author ‘Fill Right’ Iraq Report for Petraeus.”

But we’ve known this all along. This is not coming as any surprise. Just an excuse not to challenge Bush’s policies. “Oh, let’s wait and see what Petraeus has to say”. WH is already figuring how to sell and spin to continue the occupation.
I put the mass murder of thousands of innocent Iranians on your heads Pelosi and Reid and Conyers, and Waxman and Howard Dean and Bernie Sanders. You could have stopped the upcoming attack on Iran by impeaching Cheney and Gonzales and withholding funding for the occupation. But you’re content to “wait” till we get a Democrat as president. Maybe the new president could make them come back to life. Saying, “I just didn’t think he’d do that, that he’d go that far” won’t get it because you’ve been told by many. You’ve been asked for impeachment by a majority of the voters yet you say it will interfere with “policy making”.

You are the guilty ones. You’ve stood by and watched this president shred the constitution, kill almost a million innocent Iraqis, “force” nearly 4000 US soldiers to die while you do nothing because you are too busy “policy making” and waiting to hear what Petraeus has to say. Stop doing anything else and do what we elected you to do…end the occupation and get out of Iraq and impeach Cheney and Gonzales first.

So, when preparing a mandated status report in July, the administration openly considered and discussed the merits of lying to Congress. This apparently made some officials “uncomfortable.” — CB

With this WH it’s not the matter of whether to lie; it’s just a matter of degree (how much). All this Waiting for Petraeus is like Waiting for Godot. Nothing will happen but it kills the time.

I don’t even think the White House will write the report. If someone steals Bill Kristol’s laptop, I’ll bet there’s a file with the title, “What the US Army did on its summer vacation.” What Kristol wrote about his recent trip to Baghdad will be literally word for word what comes out in the White House report.

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