Former generals: The surge completely failed

Former Rep. Tom Andrews, D-Maine; retired Lt. Gen. William Odom; and retired Lt. Gen. Robert Gard hosted a conference call to act as a pre-buttal to testimony from Gen. David Petraeus, who will testify in the House and the Senate next week.

The three men, representing the organization "Win without War," said that the surge was a complete failure and that they seek to combat the conservative message that the surge has worked to create stability in Iraq.

Gen. Odom spoke about Petraeus' testimony from last year where the commander in Iraq said that there could be no military solution to a political problem and the coalition would only be able to create conditions that might allow for some political development. Odom said that while it is true that the violence dropped in al Anbar province but he did not credit the surge there. He said that Sunnis in that area allied with and were paid to work for the U.S. military in the "Sons of Iraq" program and that they are not loyal to the Iraq government. He spoke about the division between Shiites surrounding the violence created in last week's fighting in Basra and said that Sadr is the real winner in this situation. "There is no way you can look at this and say that you are better off this year than you were last year," Odom said.



"The insurgents seem to be able to fight without any U.S. trainers," Odom said, what is needed is more political development. He said that withdrawal is essential to overcoming the stalemate in Iraq and that either way, Iraq can not be "put back together" without violence.

Gen. Gard said that he is not criticizing Gen. Petraeus and recognizes that he was given a new directive of protecting the population and that he has done a good job in that directive. Gard said that we have not moved to achieve the end of political stability, as outlined by President Bush before the surge. He cited Odierno who said that without political progress the violence cannot be decreased.

Former representative Andrews of Maine said that that the Bush administration is only good at stagecraft as it tries to persuade American tax payers to continue to fund the war. They said that Congress should be investing in Iraq but not in the failed strategy of the surge.

When asked about Afghanistan the generals highlighted a statement made by Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when he said "in Afghanistan we do what we can and in Iraq we do what we must," and Gard called Iraq, "a diversion of our resources to the detriment of our security." Odom said that it is disturbing that "we have bet the future of NATO" on success in creating a centralized government in Afghanistan.

Another question about a proposed "pause" in examining the conditions on the ground before continuing to withdraw troops, Odom said that whether or not the U.S. stays or goes is not relevant because sectarian tensions have existed and will continue to exist regardless of U.S. presence and that the recent violence surrounding Shiite violence is just an emergence of tensions that will always exist. The generals concluded that the only thing the U.S. has control over is the number of U.S. troops who die in combat in Iraq and that Congress should therefore invest in a plan to withdraw those troops.

Pentagon PM Report

Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell held a press briefing. His opening statement concerned the defense authorization act which allows for an increase in pay raises for military personnel of 3.5 percent. He said that the Defense Department reiterates the president's request that Congress fully fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also commented on some new proposals that come out of the State of the Union address, particularly a preferential hiring option for military spouses across the government. Right now only the Department of Defense has preferential hiring for military spouses.

He announced a two day conference with the eight combatant commanders from Iraq, senior civilian leaders, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Secretary of State Condeleezza Rice was expected to speak to the conference group, which is also expected to meet with President Bush. Morrell answered a question about the president's figure of 20,000 troops to be withdrawn from Iraq, admitting that this is not the full surge force when support troops are considered. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has said that the rate of troop withdrawal will be conditions-based.



On Pakistan Morrell said that the U.S. stands ready to aid Pakistan militarily to fight terrorism, particularly in the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas of northern Pakistan. "But they have not asked at this point," he said.

Morrell said that the 2009 budget request was approximated at $70 billion dollars for the first quarter to cover the beginning of the Department of Defense fiscal year in October through the inauguration of a new president. After which Morrell said that the Defense Department will go back to request what will be needed at that time. He did emphasize that full funding had not been achieved for the fiscal 2008, "We're still about $102 billion short of what we need to do the job."

About an Army investigation into allegations that Iraqi detainees were killed after being captured on the battlefield last year Morrell was very cautious saying only that he could not comment very much on an ongoing investigation and that the military "takes all credible allegations seriously."

The Pentagon PM Report

Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell held a briefing with the press and began with an announcement about MRAPs or mine resistant, ambush protected vehicles, which have been ordered in almost non-stop production by the Secretary of Defense as the primary combat vehicle in Iraq.

Morrell reinforced the belief of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates that MRAPs are the safest, most live-saving vehicle choice in Iraq. This statement was made in response to a New York Times headline that suggested that MRAPs were being questioned by the Defense Department, after the first fatality in an MRAP caused by an IED (improvised explosive device) attack since the MRAP production program began. Morrell said that the Secretary of Defense has never been more convinced of the life saving quality of MRAPS than after the attack that took place over the weekend.

He also said that in retrospect the Pentagon is pleased on its decisions on a particular type of MRAP that will most likely be transferred to Afghanistan. One of the most lightweight designs ordered into ramped-up production, it turns out, is ideally suited for conditions on the ground in Afghanistan.

On the subject of Afghanistan Morrell said that the Secretary has commissioned a document that will take a look at the goals in Afghanistan for the next three to five years. It is a strategic document reflecting an overall vision for Afghanistan and is being constructed in cooperation with NATO allies. Morrell said that other U.S. government entities, such as the Department of State, will have a chance to collaborate as well.

ON the 2009 budget, Morrell said that there is a possibility that the 2009 war funding request for the military might be submitted to the Hill before the 2008 funding is passed. This does not seam likely to happen, but it is a possibility. Morell emphasized that the war is currently operating on a bridge fund passed by Congress before the intersession, but without continued movement on Capitol Hill in terms of war funding the DoD, would be forced to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with the budget for military bases.