General Petraeus and II have intentionally avoided going into a lengthy analysis of how the war is going. Analysis is what I do every day over here. Nonetheless, the recent appointment of General David Petraeus to be the new commander of U.S. Central Command is worth noting.
As the architect of the Surge, General Petraeus is the one man most responsible for the dramatic improvements in security we've realized in Iraq in the last year. I don't think anyone realizes back home just how dramatic the improvements have been. Attacks in the West are down around 80 percent. Violence in many neighborhoods of Baghdad are down 60 percent. Cities like Fallujah, whose very name had become synonymous with violence, gunbattles and death, are now quiet and almost back to normal. Parks are open. The Baghdad Zoo is open. In many areas, the shops and markets are full.
Certainly there are tough times ahead. No one has been more honest about this than Gen. Petraeus, who predicted a few spikes in violence even as the trends were going down. But looking at the situation with all that I know, I have to say that I'm even more of an optimist than the General himself. You see, it's not just that the quantity of violence has gone down, but the quality as well. And most importantly of all, we're winning the battle of hearts and minds. Or, more accurately - the enemy is losing that battle. Their brutal ideology of death and more death has changed many Iraqis.
None of this would have happened without the surge, and that is a credit to General Petraeus. By being elevated to his new position at Central Command, Petraeus now will assume overall authority over both Afghanistan and Iraq, and will be able to take lessons from one war and use them in another.
Lest one think that we're being left in less-capable hands, I can assure you that we're not. Because the right-hand man of General Petraeus - the man who implemented the surge on the ground, so to speak, is taking his place. Gen. Ray Odierno is a more pragmatic, nuts and bolts kind of guy than Gen. Petraeus. When Gen. Petraeus sees a glass half full, Gen. Odierno sees it half empty. But rather than conflict, the two seemed to work well together, with a yin-yang kind of symmetry.
I've worked under both of these men and have seen them in action. Certainly, if I had anything negative to say about my superior officers, I would be silent. But I do not, and I am not. I don't think that there could be a better team to take Iraq to the next level. Their experience, their institutional knowledge, will allow the lessons of the surge - good and bad - to be pushed on towards the finish. Because I read the tea leaves every day, and I can tell you that there will be a few dark days ahead, but the road is clearly downhill from here.
3 comments:
I've heard many of these same comments about these two fine men from other bloggers, but it somehow means more coming from you.
Keep safe,
John
James: THANK YOU. Not sure what else I can say, but it's refreshing to hear a boots-on-the-ground account and endorsement of what's going on in Iraq. If you're ever in Boise, ID, you've got hugs from my kids and a heartfelt thank you BBQ from my family to yours waiting.
We see the airmen fly in and out of Mt. Home AFB and Gowen Field here very regularly. I always take a moment to point out who they and what they're doing to my kids.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
God bless you and your comrades, and may he stay the hand of those that would do you harm.
It's good to hear that. I've been hearing it a bunch lately too (like Michael Yon's book) but it's good to keep hearing it from plenty of people so you know it's not a case of "rose-colored glasses".
Keep safe, thanks for what you do.
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