Petraeus: September Report On Escalation Will Not Say ‘Anything Definitive’

http://thinkprogress.org/?tag=Iraq

Petraeus: September Report On Escalation Will Not Say ‘Anything Definitive’

Offering another sign that the administration plans to continue its escalation of the war in Iraq into 2008, U.S. commander Gen. David Petraeus now says that he will not have “anything definitive” to say about the war in his September review.

On April 26, Petraeus told reporters that “in early September” he “would provide an assessment of the situation in Iraq with respect to our mission and offer recommendations on the way ahead.” But in an interview with CNN reporter Jane Arraf for IraqSlogger, Petraeus says, “Come September, I don’t think we’ll have anything definitive in September (although) certainly we’ll have some indicators on the political side in Iraq.”

Other recent signs that Bush is planning a long-term escalation:

– Last week, the Pentagon “notified more than 35,000 soldiers and Marines to be prepared to deploy to Iraq beginning this fall, a move that would allow commanders to maintain the ongoing buildup of troops through the end of the year if needed.”

– The New York Times reported in late April, “The timelines are now discussing suggest that the White House may maintain the increased numbers of American troops in Iraq well into next year.”

The escalation is having no effect and Petraeus knows it.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Petaeus and the Bushies
tell us the we would know how the "surge" was going around August?