I mean the generals who are actually on the ground in Iraq, not the retired talking heads in the employ of the MSM.

An American general directing a major part of the offensive aimed at securing Baghdad said Sunday that it would take until next spring for the operation to succeed, and that an early American withdrawal would clear the way for “the enemy to come back” to areas now being cleared of insurgents.

Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, commanding 15,000 American and about 7,000 Iraqi troops on BaghdadÂ’s southern approaches, spoke more forcefully than any American commander to date in urging that the so-called troop surge ordered by President Bush continue into the spring of 2008. That would match the deadline of March 31 set by the Pentagon, which has said that limits on American troops available for deployment will force an end to the increase by then.

“It’s going to take us through the summer and fall to deny the enemy his sanctuaries” south of Baghdad, General Lynch said at a news briefing in the Iraqi capital. “And then it’s going to take us through the first of the year and into the spring” to consolidate the gains now being made by the American offensive and to move enough Iraqi forces into the cleared areas to ensure that they remain so, he said.

In other words, to begin the withdrawal this fall and complete it by April 1 is a recipe for disaster and defeat. To begin the withdrawal sooner than May or June of next year would be to guarantee defeat. So what is the priority of the Democrats -- victory for the US and Iraq, or for al-Qaeda?

Posted by: Greg at 12:26 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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