A View from Inside the Surge

Human Events ^ | 09/10/2007 | Jeff Emanuel

[vietvet67]

SAMARRA, IRAQ: In January of this year, General David Petraeus was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to take command of multinational forces in Iraq. With him was to come a 'new direction' in the postwar effort there. Following on the heels of the failed strategy of General George Casey, now Chief of Staff of the Army, Petraeus brought with him a new approach to the fight to secure Iraq from the insurgent and terrorist population which had taken hold there. In a nutshell, a 'surge' in troops -- 30,000 more -- would be needed, the main effort of which would be to secure Baghdad, and the rest of the combat power in that country, which had been pulled back to a small number of massive bases, would once again be moved out amongst the population, living in the sectors in which they were operating.

Though Congressional Democrats immediately attempted to undermine it -- from making public claims that the strategy had "failed" to implementing the appallingly-named "slow bleed" strategy for gradually defunding the soldiers in Iraq -- the new direction put in place militarily by Gen. Petraeus has shown real results in an amazingly short period.

In April and May of this year, and again from the beginning of August through the present, I have been embedded in some of the most dangerous combat zones in Iraq observing Gen. Petraeus's strategy from the ground level, and have seen clear signs of the strategy's effects on the situation there. Security has been improved, as has quality of life for the Iraqi people – many of whom have access, via the coalition, to things like quality medical care that they have never had before, under Saddam or since his fall.

[MNJohnnie]

BTTT!