Petraeus Report is Irrelevant to Gauging Success in Iraq

The Petraeus report is irrelevant.

In fact, all U.S. military reports on the status of military achievements within Iraq are irrelevant to understanding the progress of Iraq's journey toward regaining nation-wide stability (i.e. to "success in Iraq").

"Stability" is defined in the Oxford-American Dictionary as "the quality or state of being stable." "Stable" is defined as "firmly fixed or established; not easily adjusted, destroyed or altered."

Militaries do not create stability. Militaries are, by definition, support services that create conditions to allow leadership to establish stability. Unless the goal is a military-led government, militaries are merely secondary functions which exist to support government leadership.

18 Benchmarks to Gauge "Success in Iraq"
Stability is created by governments. Iraq's government leaders established 18 benchmarks that were included in Congressional bill H.R. 2206, passed by Congress and signed by the President in May 2007, to provide more U.S. funding for the Iraq War.

The 18 benchmarks were established to grade Iraqi government progress toward stability. (See a listing of the benchmarks at The 18 Benchmarks to Gauge "Success in Iraq.")

Future U.S. funding of the Iraq War was to be contingent on Iraq's political leaders satisfying a sigificant number of the benchmarks.

Per AP regarding an audit report on the benchmarksby the U.S. Government Accountability Office at the end of August 2007:

"The GAO report was on track to conclude that at least 13 of the 18 benchmarks set to judge the Iraqi government's performance in the political and security arenas haven't been met."

The White House didn't like the GAO report card, though, so it applied pressure for the GAO to change its legislatively-mandated grading methods from Pass-Fail (i.e. "Met" or "Unmet") to subjective grading of "progress." The GAO has (thus far) not buckled to White House pressure.

President Bush is expected to report later this week that GAO audit report does not "present a 'true picture' of the situation in Iraq because the standards were 'designed to lock in failure.' "

The Petraeus Report is Irrelevant
The Petraeus report is irrelevant because it has absolutely nothing to do with achieving real stability in Iraq.

But the White House incessantly hypes General Petraeus and his endless military minutia because it distracts our attention from the real issues: failure to achieve the 18 benchmarks of "success."

In truth, even the White House apparently doesn't "believe" the Petraeus report. Per Newsweek today:

"Newsweek has learned that a separate internal report being prepared by a Pentagon working group will 'differ substantially' from Petraeus’s recommendations, according to an official who is privy to the ongoing discussions but would speak about them only on condition of anonymity.

An early version of the report, which is currently being drafted and is expected to be completed by the beginning of next year, will 'recommend a very rapid reduction in American forces: as much as two-thirds of the existing force very quickly, while keeping the remainder there.' "

Don't Be Fooled Again
Don't be fooled, my friends. Or should I say, fooled again?

• False promises.
• Bait-and-switch goals.
• Bluster and bumbling from the presidential bully pulpit.
• And always... hiding facts that don't support the agenda.

This is nothing new under the Bush sun...

The Iraq War has failed whatever purpose it was supposed to achieve. And the Iraqi leaders have failed to effectively assume leadership of their own country... especially when they shamefully chose to take a month-long vacation in August while U.S. soliders kept the peace in Baghdad streets.

There is no earthly reason for the U.S. soldiers to continue to die and be maimed in Iraq. There is no earthly reason for Congress to continue funding the Iraq War.

Ignore the irrelevant Petraeus report. Ignore whatever latest fantasy President Bush chooses to foist on the American people.

Bring our brave, beleaguered troops home. Now.

(Photo taken on September 9, 2007 as U.S. Army Sgt. Anthony Sloan from Modesto, California prepares to search a home in the Hurriyah neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq: John Moore/Getty Images)

Related Reading
The 18 Benchmarks to Gauge "Success in Iraq"
Iraq War Results & Statistics as of Sept 5, 2007
AP, via Fox News, August 30, 2007: Pentagon Asks Congressional Auditors to Revise Iraq Benchmark Report Findings
Newsweek, September 11, 2007: The General as Salesman