A Pep Talk From Petraeus

In the run up to Obama's December dithering strategy review about Afghanistan we are being treated to leaks and stories telling us things are going well.

Carlotta Gall of the NY Times had this on Thursday:

Coalition Forces Routing Taliban in Key Afghan Region

By CARLOTTA GALL

ARGHANDAB, Afghanistan — American and Afghan forces have been routing the Taliban in much of Kandahar Province in recent weeks, forcing many hardened fighters, faced with the buildup of American forces, to flee strongholds they have held for years, NATO commanders, local Afghan officials and residents of the region said.

A series of civilian and military operations around the strategic southern province, made possible after a force of 12,000 American and NATO troops reached full strength here in the late summer, has persuaded Afghan and Western officials that the Taliban will have a hard time returning to areas they had controlled in the province that was their base.

Some of the gains seem to have come from a new mobile rocket that has pinpoint accuracy — like a small cruise missile — and has been used against the hideouts of insurgent commanders around Kandahar. That has forced many of them to retreat across the border into Pakistan. Disruption of their supply lines has made it harder for them to stage retaliatory strikes or suicide bombings, at least for the moment, officials and residents said.

NATO commanders are careful not to overstate their successes — they acknowledge they made that mistake earlier in the year when they undertook a high-profile operation against Marja that did not produce lasting gains. But they say they are making “deliberate progress” and have seized the initiative from the insurgents.

Fred Kaplan had more on the high tech mobile rocket.

Gen. Petraues gave an interview to the WaPo reinforcing the Times theme:

KABUL - Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, said allied forces are in the "final stages" of a large operation to clear insurgent fighters from key regions just west of Kandahar, the country's second-largest city and principal focus of the coalition's military campaign against the Taliban.

Petraeus, speaking in an interview at NATO headquarters in Kabul, said the operation in the Zhari and Panjwai districts, which began a month ago and involves thousands of U.S., Afghan and Canadian troops, is proceeding "more rapidly than was anticipated." Military officials and Afghan leaders have reported increasing stability in large swaths of the area that had been firmly in the grip of insurgents a few weeks ago, although they acknowledge that they remain contested by pockets of Taliban holdouts.

The progress in Kandahar City's western fringe is shaping up to be an important part of the case Petraeus plans to make, during crucial assessments of the mission this fall by NATO and the White House, that international and Afghan forces have regained the momentum after years of losing ground to the Taliban.

The WaPo interview alludes to another controversy as well:

In his first interviews upon assuming command here in July, Petraeus drew attention to an increase in the number of Special Operations forces missions to kill and capture insurgent leaders and field commanders, an effort that senior military officials think has spurred a handful of senior Taliban leaders to hold preliminary talks with Afghan government officials aimed at a possible negotiated end to the nine-year-long conflict. His statements about the increase in raids led some analysts to question whether the mission here was shifting away from a focus on protecting the population from the Taliban.

But in a wide-ranging, hour-long interview Friday, Petraeus emphasized that kill-and-capture operations are part of his counterinsurgency strategy. He said the ramp-up in Special Operations forces activity has been matched with increasing effort in all parts of the overall mission, from training Afghan security forces to rebuilding the country's infrastructure.

"We have increased, and we are increasing, every component of a comprehensive counterinsurgency campaign," he said.

Lots more on that over at Thomas Ricks' Foreign Policy blog in a guest contribution by an author with a relevant background:

Here is a comment from Paula Broadwell, who is just your typical Army Reserve officer who is doing a PhD and writing a biography of General Petraeus on the side.

Cool charts included.

So what does it mean?  It looks as if the military will be pressuring Obama to stay the course in Afghanistan.  If Obama is afraid of Rush Limbaugh he ought to be terrified by Gen. Petraeus, so I think we can assume the military will get what they want.

As to whether that is the correct strategy, well, Petraeus is a great American and a great general, so we hope he knows what he is doing.  You go to war with the President you have, and this is the leadership we elected, so full speed ahead.

FROM THE ARCHIVES:  Thomas Ricks had deep thoughts about Afghanistan last June when Petraeus took over, and I stand by my own advice:

Since Petraeus wants to win this war, he needs to get the top civilian leadership on board.  I suggest a re-imagining of the Army Field Manual on counter-insurgency.  Rewrite it in language that will appeal to our Community Organizer-in-Chief.  Instead of “Army/Marine Corps Field Manual 3-24”, a possible title would be "Alinsky's Rules For Third World Radicals, or, What Would Che Do".

 

Comments

[Clarice]

HEH--What Alinsky might suggest is wrapping up this war in time for Petraeus to come home and run for President himself. He'd get my vote.

[daddy]

I second that motion Clarice.

[matt]

I'm just a little suspicious. They're telling us the opium crop has been cut in half. We're hunting down Taliban daily in Pakistan. The ones on Southern Afghanistan are fading into the woodwork. It sounds a bit pat.

Meanwhile, not a lot of people are paying attention in Iraq, where the Iranians have been increasing their influence and the reporters are saying the Sunnis are rejoining the resistance.

It may all be good, but we've been baffled by BS too many times.

[Cecil Turner]

Very slightly OT, WikiLeaks makes good on its threat to data dump secret documents in what they bill as "the largest classified military leak in history," providing an opportunity for the usual suspects to engage in a bit of enemy propaganda:

A huge trove of secret field reports from the battlegrounds of Iraq sheds new light on the war, including such fraught subjects as civilian deaths, detainee abuse and the involvement of Iran.

One not-terribly-surprising highlight was this:

The reports make it clear that most civilians, by far, were killed by other Iraqis.

And, in fact, by the insurgents (you know, the enemy) . . . but apparently pointing that out would be bad because it would be like, friendly propaganda (that's a no-no). This sign off was particularly droll:

Civilians have borne the brunt of modern warfare, with 10 civilians dying for every soldier in wars fought since the mid-20th century . . .

No word yet on whether that's caused by widespread flouting of the laws of war. Stay tuned to see if any of our much-vaunted Fourth Estate professionals can connect those dots.

[narciso]

The part about intentional murder of civilians seems to elude them, which was the point of the insurgents

[Army of Davids]

The irony for the left.

Will Obama's troop surge result in victory in Afghanistan. Patraeus leading the way.

He did say it was a war "of necessity"

[Army of Davids]

B of A (Countrywide) is looking at about $1.2 Trillion in paper that was facilitated onto the secondary market via Fannie and Freddie from 2004 to 2008 (per WSJ). As well as another $700 billion or so that was sold without a government guarantee. Some of that was originated at B of A before they took on Countrywide. But likely most was Countrywide.

A good chunk of this paper will default or has already. And there are lawsuits already on this.

It's worth remembering that Angelo Mozilo had "Friends" at Fannie and Freddie as well. If memory serves.... Jamie Gorelick, Jim Johnson and Franklin Raines come to mind.

This is now a liability of the taxpayer.

Also...while the lawyers are sorting out the paperwork backlog it's worth remembering that MERS is owned by Fannie and Freddie (David Kotak)

[jfxgillis]

Tom:

So what does it mean? It looks as if the military will be pressuring Obama to stay the course in Afghanistan.

You have that exactly backwards. Always before the spin doctoring from the warrrior class was "We're making progress but slower than expected." That's how you pressure a president into staying the course, i.e., "You shouldn't order us back when we're on the verge of victory," (a verge we're always on of a victory that never comes).

Rather, this indicates to me that Obama has finally gotten it into Petraeus's head who won 365 Electoral votes and who follows the orders of the person who won the Electoral votes.

I think this spin from Petraeus means he now knows the July 2011 deadline is meaningful and Obama intends to impose it.

[narciso]

No, the fundamental problem. is that as it was in Vietnam, the US side fought to bring the the NVA to the table, they fought to win

[Cecil Turner]

You have that exactly backwards. Always before the spin doctoring from the warrrior class was "We're making progress but slower than expected."

I find that more than mildly offensive. If there's any "spin doctoring" going on here, it's from the political class, with the race-hustler-in-chief leading the pack. And the only electoral votes he's worried about are the ones he's going to need to stay in office in 2012. He can no more afford to fire Petraeus than he can afford to lose the war he said was "absolutely essential."

I think this spin from Petraeus means he now knows the July 2011 deadline is meaningful and Obama intends to impose it.

I think Petraeus realizes (correctly) Obama will blow with whichever political wind blows hardest in July 2011. And unlike the President, you can rely on him to give an honest opinion even while his good name is being slimed by lefties.

[jfxgillis]

Cecil:

I find that more than mildly offensive.

Oh, bring out the smelling salts for the right-winger with the vapors at the very idea that the military establishment might spin on military issues. The idea that Petraeus doesn't spin is risible.

I think Petraeus realizes (correctly) Obama will blow with whichever political wind blows hardest in July 2011.

That would be highly amusing if so, because the political winds have been building against Afghanistan and they'll be blowing gale force by the time 2011-12 rolls around.

[Cecil Turner]

Oh, bring out the smelling salts . . .

Nope, it don't hurt me none, just makes you look bad. How's that "General Betrayus" ad workin' out for you guys?

That would be highly amusing if so, because the political winds have been building against Afghanistan and they'll be blowing gale force by the time 2011-12 rolls around.

It'll be vastly amusing to see you lot trying to reconcile all the self-contradictory "strategery" coming out of the White House (like the Afghan "surge," Gitmo, DADT, etc). Does "totally incoherent" qualify as spin?

[Jane]

I don't think Obama is capable of getting anything in Petreus' head. That would be like a cardiologist taking orders from a lawyer on how to perform heart surgery.

[Clarice]

HEH,Jane. More like the cardiologist taking orders from a community organizer on how to perform heart surgery.

[Threadkiller]

<--"Always before the spin doctoring from the warrrior[sic] class was "We're making progress but slower than expected.""--

Are you are ok with the elite class using that statement for "stimulus" or the gulf oil spill?

[RichatUF]

Jane-

Don't give the Obamacare folks ideas.

jfxgillis-

So Obama is going to be President with a weak economy and a losing war. Wasn't he the one that said that Afghanistan was the necessary war and committed the resources?

In re: the wikileaks. What's the point? Is Soros, not happy about not getting political proscutions of Bush Administration officials, going to go after the sergeants and captains. Spain is still hounding 3 US soliders regarding an incident in which a journalist was killed (iirc it was a tank crew that put a round into the Palestine Hotel as they were coming over the bridge into Baghdad.)

[RichatUF]

Threadkiller-

But that is for your own good.

[Clarice]

Spanish jurists, bore with ordinary litigation have fashioned themselves as having international jurisdiction.

A must see video of Krauthammer and Totenberg

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2010/10/22/krauthammer_slams_nprs_hypocrisy_over_williams_and_totenberg.html>calling b.s., b.s.

[bgates]

the political winds have been building against Afghanistan

The war of necessity that President Diplomacy was going to get all kinds of international support for? (Hey, whatever happened to the international support? It's not like Europe can plead poverty; most of those countries didn't give in to Obama's pressure for "stimulus", so their economies are recovering already.)

Obama has finally gotten it into Petraeus's head who won 365 Electoral votes

Was it George HW Bush? No, he won 426.

[matt]

I'm not talking politics on this, but the fact is that the higher one goes in the chain of command the rosier the glasses. This was taught to me by a Company Sgt. wise beyond his years a long time ago.

One gets the straight dope from Company level in most cases, which then rises to Battalion and gets spun, and thence to Brigade where it is woven into whole cloth, and thence to regional command, where it is cut into the pattern, and Command, where it is assembled into the narrative desired, depending upon the commander or his superiors.

The issues in Afghanistan include multinational forces who all define the mission and success in their own quaint ways; ambitions officers sometimes removed from the facts on the ground; a CIA that the Intel chief of ISAF said was basically worthless and is now consumed with running their own air force;a hat tip to the DEA but no real punch; never mind those puzzling native folk and their duplicitous ways and frangible relationship with the truth. No, everything's just fine. Nothing to worry about. I'm from Missouri on this one.

[Clarice]

Besides proving that Iran has been to war with us for years, wikileaks also shows we did find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq:

"By late 2003, even the Bush White House’s staunchest defenders were starting to give up on the idea that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. But for years afterward, WikiLeaks’ newly-released Iraq war documents reveal, U.S. troops continued to find chemical weapons labs, encounter insurgent specialists in toxins, and uncover weapons of mass destruction. An initial glance at the WikiLeaks war logs doesn’t reveal evidence of some massive WMD program by the Saddam Hussein regime — the Bush administration’s most (in)famous rationale for invading Iraq. But chemical weapons, especially, did not vanish from the Iraqi battlefield."

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/10/wikileaks-show-wmd-hunt-continued-in-iraq-with-surprising-results/>WMDs

[Captain Hate]

I think this spin from Petraeus means he now knows the July 2011 deadline is meaningful and Obama intends to impose it.

So domestic political concerns trump national security; is that how that works, Junior?

[Captain Hate]

By late 2003, even the Bush White House’s staunchest defenders were starting to give up on the idea that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

First of all, that's not true. Second, this article has the Wiredtards melting down in the comments at being confronted with reality. I love the smell of scorched lib in the afternoon.

[Ignatz Ratzkywatzky]

--I think this spin from Petraeus means he now knows the July 2011 deadline is meaningful and Obama intends to impose it.--

So is that deadline as meaningful and as likely to be imposed as Barry the Lion Heart's iron clad order that Gitmo be closed by January 2010?

[RichatUF]

CH-

I recall that back in 2004 a large cashe of radiologicals and assorted nuclear equipment were shipped out of Iraq and to Oak Ridge. Nothing to see there! The story got the silent treatment. Along with a Canadian nuclear firm buying the 550 tons on yellowcake that Iraq had under IEAE "seal". Not sure how it helps the Obama Administration to re-litigate the Iraq War now. He won.

[Jack is Back!]

David Petraeus is too smart to run for President unless it is President of Princeton:)

[bgates]

An initial glance at the WikiLeaks war logs doesn’t reveal evidence of some massive WMD program by the Saddam Hussein regime — the Bush administration’s most (in)famous rationale for invading Iraq.

It's too bad Bush never figured out how to communicate the fact that Saddam was obligated to demonstrate his compliance with the armistice meant the burden of proof was on Iraq, not us.

He should have made the Baath Party a member of the Chamber of Commerce.

[Clarice]

It's an interesting point of history that Powell who played such a big role in keeping Saddam and his thugs in power after Gulf War I, by his perfidy in the Plame case, did so much to cripple W in his war against Saddam.

No wonder the media adores him.

[glasater]

A Stephen Hayes tweet:

Most important part of Wikileaks docs is more detailed evidence of Iran's proxy war against the US in Iraq.

[Clarice]

Hayes ir right, but then you must discount my views, as I am a Zionist neo con and my cohorts probably made up those military reports and slipped them to Wikileaks for our usual nefarious purposes.

[narciso]

I'm a Latin neocon Baptist, beat that, for unlikely authority. Yes Bandar's tennis doubles partner has a lot to answer for

[PD]

“deliberate progress”

Better than the accidental kind.

[PD]

So is that deadline as meaningful and as likely to be imposed as Barry the Lion Heart's iron clad order that Gitmo be closed by January 2010?

Fully as meaningful as Obama's promise that the under $250K families would pay "not one dime more" in taxes "of any kind," shortly after he signed a bill raising tobacco taxes on people in all economic classes.

Fully as meaningful as his commitment to sign no bills containin any earmarks at all, a statement made the same day he signed a bill containing thousands of them.

Fully as meaningful as his fight against the influence of foreign money, having run a campaign that disabled the security controls on online contributions, thus opening the door to foreign contributions.

Fully as meaningful as his strong statements that he wasn't interested in running the car companies or nationalizing the banks.

Ah yes. Life under President I Really Mean It.

[PD]

shortly after he signed a bill -- sorry, I believe it was actually shortly *before*, i.e., he made the promise, then quickly broke it.

[Extraneus]

Seriously, who needed Wikileaks to tell them that Iran and Syria were involved in the Iraq insurgency? The same fools who believed that report about Iran's discontinued nuclear program?

[Ignatz Ratzkywatzky]

--Ah yes. Life under President I Really Mean It.--

Heh. PD, I think my favorite might be his promise that there would absolutely NOT be any lobbyists in his adminstration....except for the fifty or so who got hired by him waiving his absolute order almost immediately.

[Jane]

You know I don't recall another president who so actively lied - constantly. I remember Clinton telling one crowd something one day and later that afternoon telling teachers the exact opposite - but Obama does it about policy, about campaigns about everything. I guess since the media gives him a pass and liberals are too stupid to notice, why not? It's not like integrity is a requirement of the office.

[PD]

absolutely NOT be any lobbyists in his adminstration

Yeah, that was one of the earliest whoppers, forgot about that. There are so many, I need a bigger file cabinet.

[narciso]

Well on the latter point, they knew what they were doing, in the LUN

[maryrose]

Jane:
I agree . In addition to lying all the time,even when he doesn't have to he consistently refuses to take responsibility for his failures ie the stimulus Government Motors Gitmo still open, Mosque comments Boston police being stupid etc. PD the list is endless and we need a giant file cabinet and a lie detector machine.

[Frau Stein-auf-Stein]

David Petraeus for President? Don't tell Threadkiller that father Sixtus Petraeus was born in the Netherlands, stranded here in WWII and stayed.

[maryrose]

After Sestak loses{I believe he peaked too early this week} I want a full explanation about offering him a job to get out of the race. Also no fair blaming Clinton for Rahm's and Messina"s screw-up.
OT Blago trial postponed until April after Feb 22nd mayor race. Makes me want to say Hmmm...

[Jane]

It's all dirty Maryrose - everywhere you look - the report on the Giannolias bank failure has been delayed until after the election.

[Frau Stein-auf-Stein]

nariciso: "I'm a Latin neocon Baptist..."
That's funny; you don't look it.

My favorites are *transparency* and having *bills available 5 days online prior* to the Democrats' midnight voting.

[Frau Stein-auf-Stein]

Don't forget that Rezko never sang in public.

[Jane]

We need to get Maybee back.

[PD]

we need a giant file cabinet and a lie detector machine

The lie detector machine is "are his lips moving?"

Low tech, but it works. This president is a disgrace to the office.

[Clarice]

I miss MayBee, too. And I want to hear he ideas on the election. I wish I knew how to get her back.

[JM Hanes]

Can't believe she left me. [Sniffle]

[BR]

Clarice at 3:14 - thank you for that WMD link! The news is spreading. Pres. Bush and the British were right about WMDs in Iraq. And what we've always known, again exposes Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson for what they are.

It's interesting that the Obama administration has advised service members and civilian DOD staff not to look at Wikileaks site, while the enemy is free to see. Makes me wonder what else is in there that the leftists want to hide from American voters.