[Peace-discuss] One lies & the others swear to it

[C. G. Estabrook]

	Petraeus ‘Not Bound’ by July 2011 Drawdown Date in Afghanistan
	Claims 'Progress' in War Began This Spring
	by Jason Ditz, August 15, 2010

In an interview broadcast today on NBC, Gen. David Petraeus reiterated his 
belief that the July 2011 drawdown date, set by President Obama in December and 
quietly disavowed by virtually everyone in his administration, was not something 
that would bind him either.

“The president has been clear… this is the date when the process begins which is 
conditions based,” Petraeus insisted, adding that he reserved the right to tell 
the President it was “too early.”

Further into the interview, while predicting that difficulties would continue, 
Gen. Petraeus also claimed that the war began making “progress” in the spring, a 
surprising claim considering every metric from civiilian to military death tolls 
and IED attacks has risen precipitously since then. He also took occasion to 
condemn WikiLeaks as “very reprehensible” for releasing classified documents 
showing just how poorly the war has been going.

Beyond that, Gen. Petraeus maintained that the primary goal of the war in 
Afghanistan, with its 150,000 NATO troops, is to “arrest Osama bin Laden.” 
Countless officials, including Petraeus himself, have maintained for years that 
bin Laden has left Afghanistan.

http://news.antiwar.com/2010/08/15/petraeus-not-bound-by-july-2011-drawdown-date-in-afghanistan/