He has done a hell of alot more then that.
He wrote the new counterinsurgency manual. It was his idea to treat the insurgency as a local neighborhood policing problem which I have been saying for three years. Putting up 100 police stations on steriods with US troops, Iraqi troops, and Iraqi police was something I have wanted done for two years.
He is absolutely right about how the insurgency works. It works like a normal gang would. They get into neigborhoods and intimidate using violence loyals. If US and Iraqi troops are around long term the loyals won't fear if they rat on the insurgents a week later the US will leave and they will die. That is why we already see in Baghdad a doubling of tips since the surge began. The troops instead of being on giant FOBs are now out in the steets collecting intel and making connections with people and they are also watching the Iraqi Security Forces, giving them confidence and keeping them much more honest.
Petraeus also was tasked with the incredibly difficult task of building the Iraqi Army from the ground up in late 2004. A year and a half into the war the Pentagon finally figured out that a small National Guard isn't good enough for Iraq and it needs an Army. And, he did a damn good job building the Army from scratch.
This late Newsweek cover with Petraeus on it isn't from 2007 it is from late 2004.
http://www.dickinson.edu/news/features/2004/petraeus/petraeus.jpg
The new talk and type with Windows Visa isn't work all that well.
I was talking about Baghdad's upcoming 100 bases and locals not loyals.
Writing manuals, training Muslim armies and policing neighborhoods filled with Muslims determined to kill each other and our folks -- is not my idea of how a General earns worshiped hero status...
If Petraeus was in fact successful in training a large and expensive Iraqi Army -- they SHOULD be able to secure their own cities...
Petraeus should be measured on how he succeeds in ONE MISSION.
Defeating/Destroying the enemy and securing VICTORY, however one wishes to define victory..
I've seen fuzz cheeked 2nd Lieutenants in country only a few weeks leading a platoon, kill more enemy in a single evening - than our total combined forces are killing in a month!
Semper Fi
